A court in Pakistan granted bail to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a case relating to the illegal sale of State gifts.
State Treasury Case
The Islamabad High Court has granted him bail on Wednesday in the Toshakhana, or State treasury case.
The 71 year- old cricketer turned leader has been in prison since August 2023.
Doubts About Khan’s Release
It was not immediately clear if the embattled politician would be released as he faces several other charges too, including inciting violence against the state.
“If the official order is received today, his family and supporters will approach the authorities for his release,” one of his party’s lawyers, Salman Safdar, told journalists.
Safdar added that, as far as he knew, Khan was granted bail or acquitted in all the cases he faced.
Khan Also Faces Other Charges
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, a member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party, told Geo TV that Khan lacked bail in other cases.
Khan is charged with planning riots in the wake of his arrest in May last year.
Imran Khan Has Denied Any Wrongdoing
In his defence, Khan has denied any wrongdoing.
He has alleged that all the cases registered against him following his removal from power in 2022, are politically motivated to keep him in jail.
Multiple Versions
There are multiple versions regarding the Toshakhana, or state treasury case.
The allegations levelled against Khan and his wife are that they illegally procured and sold gifts worth over 140 million rupees ($501,000) in state possession.
He received these gifts during his 2018-’22 premiership.
Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were handed a 14-year sentence on those charges, following a three-year sentence handed to him in late 2023 in another version of the same case.
Their sentences have been suspended in appeals at the high court.
Nature Of Gifts
The gifts included diamond jewellery and seven watches, six of them Rolex – the most expensive being valued at 85 million rupees ($305,000).
Khan’s wife was released last month after being in the same prison as Khan for months.
(With inputs from Reuters)
