Pakistani court extends former PM's detention period

A Pakistani court has extended the detention period of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, founder of the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), by 11 days.

Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were arrested on new charges of "abusing power to misappropriate gifts from the state treasury", Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

The court justified the extension of detention by citing the need to complete the investigation, which has been hindered by the arrested individuals' reluctance to cooperate with authorities.

The former prime minister of Pakistan was serving prison sentences from two separate verdicts issued earlier this year. In January, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for violating the Official Secrets Act. In February, both Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to seven years for entering into an illegal marriage. However, both sentences were later overturned by different Pakistani courts.