In a much-anticipated decision, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has suspended the three-year jail sentence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case.
The decision was announced by a division bench consisting of Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri.
The suspension comes following Imran Khan’s appeal against his conviction in the high court.
Justice Farooq briefly stated, “The copy of the judgment will be available shortly … all we are saying now is that Imran Khan’s request has been approved.”
There is currently uncertainty regarding Imran Khan’s release from Attock Jail, as it is not yet confirmed when he will be released, but the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf demanded him to be free as early as possible.
The Toshakhana case involves the concealment of details related to state gifts, as filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Imran Khan was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison on August 5 by a trial court in Islamabad. The conviction also led to his disqualification from contesting general elections for a period of five years.
Imran Khan swiftly filed an appeal against his conviction in the high court and also approached the Supreme Court (SC) regarding the IHC’s decision to remand the case back to the trial court judge.
The PTI has demanded Imran Khan’s immediate release from jail, with lawyers and party supporters gathering outside the IHC and chanting slogans for his release.
Imran Khan’s legal team emphasized that, for now, only the sentence has been suspended and not entirely terminated.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif criticized the verdict and questioned the independence of the judiciary.
