Islamabad, Aug 29,2023: A Pakistani court has suspended the conviction and three-year prison sentence of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the state gifts depository case.
The two-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered Khan’s release on bail.
Khan, 70, was convicted on August 5 by a trial court for not disclosing gifts he received from foreign governments and leaders during his premiership between 2018 and 2022.
The cricketer-turned-politician, who is facing more than 100 cases since he lost a confidence vote in the parliament in April 2022, is jailed in the northwestern Attock city, about 88km (54 miles) from Islamabad.
Khan was also barred by the country’s election commission from contesting elections for five years following his imprisonment.
The IHC’s decision came days after Pakistan’s Supreme Court observed that the trial court verdict had “procedural defects”.
Earlier on Tuesday, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party filed a plea before the IHC, seeking a ban on authorities rearresting Khan.
On Monday, the PTI chief was given more relief by a court in Balochistan province which quashed a sedition case against him.
However, despite the two court orders, Khan’s legal woes are expected to continue.
Last week, an antiterrorism court in Lahore allowed the police to detain and interrogate Khan in connection with the violence that erupted following the opposition leader’s brief detention in May this year.
