Imran Khan Pakistan News Update: PTI Imran Khan Toshakhana Sentence Suspended But Detention At Attock Jail To Continue In Cipher Case

Imran Khan’s sentence stayed

A division bench of Chief Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri gave the much-awaited verdict. The division bench had on Monday reserved its verdict on Imran’s plea challenging the trial court’s decision in the case after hearing arguments from both the sides. Imran’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) said in a brief WhatsApp message, “The Islamabad High Court has stayed the district court’s decision.” The High Court said that the copy of the judgment would be made available soon. Justice Farooq said, ‘The copy of the judgment will be made available soon. Right now we are only saying that (Imran’s) application has been accepted.

Naeem Haider Panjotha, Imran’s aide in legal matters, wrote on social media platform ‘X’, “The Chief Justice has accepted our application, stayed the sentence and said that the detailed judgment will be made available later.” The cricketer-turned-politician was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to illegally selling state gifts received by him and his family during his prime ministership between 2018 and 2022. The sessions court also barred the PTI chief from taking part in political activities for the next five years, barring him from contesting the upcoming elections. Imran challenged the lower court’s decision in the Islamabad High Court.
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Imran’s lawyer Latif Khosa counted the shortcomings

Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi prematurely dissolved the National Assembly on 10 August. General elections are to be held in Pakistan within 90 days of the dissolution of the National Assembly. However, the general elections are likely to be delayed, as the government has announced that the elections can only be held after the new census is completed and the boundaries of the new constituencies are drawn. Both the processes are likely to take about four months, leading to the postponement of the general elections until next year. The Islamabad High Court had on August 22 heard Imran’s petition challenging his conviction in the Toshakhana corruption case.

The hearing of the case was adjourned on Friday after the advocate representing the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) failed to appear in the court due to illness. Imran’s lawyer Latif Khosa, while concluding his arguments on Thursday, said that the decision was given in haste and there were many flaws in it. He appealed to the court to set aside the sentence, but the defendants requested additional time to complete their arguments. Meanwhile, a three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhil in the Supreme Court is also set to resume hearing on petitions filed against the Toshakhana case.

‘Imran hid income from sale of government gifts’

Earlier, the apex court on Wednesday, after hearing various petitions filed against the Toshakhana case, had said that there were ‘flaws’ in the sessions court’s judgement. The bench had said that the judgment was given in haste and without giving the accused the right of defence. The Chief Justice had said, “Prima facie, there are defects in the judgment of the sessions court.” The Supreme Court had also said that it would wait for the completion of the hearing in the Islamabad High Court before giving its verdict.

It had started the hearing on Thursday but adjourned it without fixing any date after being told that the Islamabad High Court was conducting the hearing. Ruling party MPs filed the Toshakhana case with the Election Commission in 2022, alleging that Imran hid income from the sale of government gifts. The Election Commission had first disqualified Imran from holding any office and then initiated criminal proceedings against him in the sessions court. The sessions court convicted Imran and sentenced him to three years imprisonment, after which he was sent to jail.