Pakistan HC Suspends Ex-PM Imran Khan’s Jail Sentence In Toshakhana Case

Islamabad: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan received a favourable ruling on Monday as a court granted his appeal against a corruption conviction, suspending his 14-year jail sentence. The decision provides relief for Khan’s party, which emerged as the single largest party in February’s national elections.

Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced just a week before the February 8 elections for unlawfully selling state gifts. The court’s suspension of the graft sentence offers temporary respite for Khan, although he remains incarcerated due to other convictions that bar him from holding public office for a decade.

The Islamabad High Court stated that the graft sentence will be on hold until further hearings after Eid holidays, citing a lack of evidence in the conviction. Barrister Ali Zafar, Khan’s lawyer, emphasized the absence of evidence as grounds for the suspension.

The charges against Khan and his wife revolve around the alleged illegal sale of gifts received during his premiership from a state treasury called the “Toshakhana.” These gifts included luxurious items such as perfumes, diamond jewellery, dinner sets, and high-end watches.

Despite the legal battles, Khan and his party maintain that the cases are politically motivated, orchestrated to sideline him from the political arena.