Islamabad: Islamabad Hight 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 declaring the assets he made from selling the 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.
Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, spokesman for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, hailed the court’s decision and demanded his immediate release, saying no “misadventure” should now take place.
“We are extremely happy and overjoyed that Khan got the bail and has been ordered to be released. His safety and bringing him back home is our number one priority,” Bukhari told Al Jazeera.
“Our only concern is to get him home safely and that no misadventure is tried by the authorities outside Attock prison. If something like that happens, it will only further weaken the judicial system and rule of law in the country.”
The PTI official said the party would have liked if Khan was given a “complete acquittal” by the court, but added that he was confident the Supreme Court will grant that relief.