IHC suspends Imran Khan’s three-year sentence in Toshakhana case

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday suspended Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s three-year sentence in the Toshakhana case.

The IHC announced the short verdict that it reserved a day earlier wherein it directed the authorities to release the PTI chief on bail.

The court said it would detail the reasons for the suspension of the sentence in the detailed verdict to be issued later.

“The copy of the judgment will be available shortly … all we are saying now is that [Imran’s] request has been approved,” Justice Farooq said.

PTI chairman’s aide on legal affairs Naeem Haider Panjotha also confirmed the same in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “The CJ has accepted our request, suspended the sentence and said a detailed decision would be provided later.”

چیف جسٹس صاحب نے ہماری درخواست منظور کر لی،سزا معطل کرتے ہوۓ کہا ہے کہ تفصیلی فیصلہ بعد میں لے لیجیے گا.

— Naeem Haider Panjutha (@NaeemPanjuthaa) August 29, 2023

Hareem Shah Congratulates Imran Khan

پاکستانی قوم کو مبارک ہو ہائیکورٹ نے خان صاحب کو توشہ خانہ کیس میں باعزت بری کر دیا۔
ﻧَﺼْﺮٌ ﻣِّﻦ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪِ ﻭَﻓَﺘْﺢٌ ﻗَﺮِﻳﺐٌ 🤲🏻#ImranKhan pic.twitter.com/NvITxHkwQH

— Hareem Shah (@_Hareem_Shah) August 29, 2023

Earlier on August 5, a trial court in Islamabad had convicted the PTI chief in the case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that involved concealing details of state gifts and jailed him for three years. The verdict meant he was disqualified from contesting general elections for five years.

Imran had subsequently filed an appeal in the high court against his conviction. He had also approached the Supreme Court (SC) against the IHC’s decision to remand the case back to the trial court judge who had convicted him.

Last week, however, the SC had acknowledged “procedural defects” in Imran’s conviction but had opted to wait for the IHC decision on Imran’s plea. The court’s observations had drawn the ire of the Pakistan Bar Council, which said there should be no “interference” in matters pending before the subordinate judiciary.