Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has seen his three-year corruption sentence put on hold, pending his appeal, raising uncertainty about his release from prison, BBC reports.
The Islamabad High Court granted him bail until his appeal hearing, but another court ordered his detention until August 30 in a separate case. Khan's legal team asserts that over 100 charges have been lodged against him since his removal from power last year, including leaking state secrets and orchestrating violent protests. These charges have led to various arrest warrants.
Khan contends that all the charges against him are politically motivated. His lawyers are also seeking a Supreme Court order to prevent his detention in other cases, although no hearing date has been set for this petition. The former cricket star-turned-politician was sentenced to three years in prison on August 5 for not disclosing earnings from selling gifts he received during his tenure from 2018 to 2022. These gifts included valuable items like Rolex watches, a ring, and cuff links.
Due to this conviction, he was barred from participating in elections for five years. The current detention is related to an alleged diplomatic cable leak, referred to as the "cipher case." His legal team claims that he was convicted without being given a chance to defend himself in the appeal that led to the suspension of his sentence.
This news emerges a day after another high court dismissed sedition charges against him, deeming them improperly filed. Authorities deny political motivations in Khan's arrest or disqualification from public office. They have accused the judges who granted Khan relief of being politically biased.
Khan is currently incarcerated in Attock jail, a facility in Punjab province with historical connections to the military. He's about 85 km (52 miles) away from Islamabad. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party members have also been held there in the past. Prior to his sentencing, Khan managed to avoid arrest for months, sometimes involving confrontations between his supporters and the police.
His arrest in May, for not appearing in court as requested, sparked widespread protests, some violent, targeting military installations due to his supporters blaming the military for his downfall. Many of his supporters were arrested during these protests.
Since then, Khan and PTI have faced crackdowns, with senior leadership arrests and party defections. This has led some of his vocal supporters to become apprehensive about expressing their opinions. Several of those arrested in support of Khan during the protests will face military court trials for alleged violence, despite human rights groups' outcry.
Khan has previously criticized Pakistan's army, suggesting they are dismantling democracy due to their fear of his party's electoral success. While his election win in 2018 was supported by the military, he has since been one of its harshest critics. Pakistan's parliament dissolved on August 9, with a caretaker government in place leading up to general elections expected this year, likely to be delayed beyond the constitution's early November requirement.
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