Pakistani court suspends ex-PM Imran Khan’s graft conviction

A Pakistani high court suspended former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent conviction on corruption charges on Tuesday, his lawyer says.

“Our application has been accepted, and the sentence has been suspended,” Naeem Panjutha said on messaging platform X.

According to Panjutha, the Islamabad High Court suspended the sentence imposed by a lower court earlier this month.

Khan had filed an appeal against the conviction, after he was sentenced to three years on August 5 for unlawfully selling state gifts during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022.

The ex-PM’s legal team lodged the appeal against his conviction on the grounds that he was put to jail without being given the right to defend himself.

According to another one of his lawyers, Shoaib Shaheen, the high court also ordered Khan's release on bail.

However, it remains uncertain whether he will be freed as there are court orders for his arrest in other cases, including charges of abetment to murder, leaking state secrets, and orchestrating violent protests.

Aljazeera also reported that the two-member bench of the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday ordered Khan’s release on bail.

SS