Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's three-year corruption sentence has been temporarily suspended by the Islamabad High Court, pending the appeal against his conviction. However, his release from jail is still uncertain as another court has ordered him to remain in custody until Wednesday in a separate case. Khan's lawyers argue that he has faced over 100 politically motivated charges since his removal from power last year, including leaking state secrets and organizing violent protests.
Khan's legal team is seeking a Supreme Court order to prevent his detention in any other case, but a date for the petition hearing has not been set yet. Despite the suspension of his sentence, there is no indication of his arrest in any other case at the moment. Khan, a former international cricket star, was sentenced to three years in jail on August 5 for failing to declare money earned from selling gifts received during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. This conviction also resulted in a five-year ban on his ability to contest elections.
The current case, known as the "cipher case," revolves around the alleged leaking of a diplomatic cable. Khan's lawyers argue that he was convicted without adequate opportunity to defend himself. The recent development comes after another high court dismissed improperly filed sedition charges against him. Authorities deny any political motivation behind Khan's arrest or disqualification from public office while accusing the judges who granted him relief of being politically biased.
Imran Khan is currently held in Attock jail, located about 85km from Islamabad. His party members have previously been incarcerated there as well. Prior to his sentencing, Khan managed to evade arrest for months, with occasional clashes between his supporters and the police to prevent his custody. The situation surrounding his legal battles and potential release remains fluid, and further developments are expected in the coming days.
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