Pakistan court suspends Imran Khan's conviction in Toshakhana case, orders release on bail
Major relief for Imran Khan: In a major relief to Imran Khan, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has suspended the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan's conviction and three-year jail sentence in the Toshakhana case.
The bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri on the former prime minister’s appeal against his prison term announced the much-anticipated order, that comes months ahead of the national elections in the country.
According to the media reports, the trial court in Islamabad had convicted the PTI chief in the case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that involved concealing details of state gifts and jailed him for three years. The verdict meant he was disqualified from contesting general elections for five years.
Imran had subsequently filed an appeal in the high court against his conviction. He had also approached the Supreme Court (SC) against the IHC’s decision to remand the case back to the trial court judge who had convicted him.
Pakistan district and sessions court on August 5, sentenced Imran Khan to three years in prison in the Toshakhana case i.e. for illegally selling state gifts and disqualified him from politics for a period of five years, local media reported. He was lodged in Attock Jail in Punjab province in the country.
The PTI Chairman was arrested from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore soon after being convicted in the Toshakhana case.