সহকারী অধ্যাপক
২৯ আগস্ট, ২০২৩ ০৬:৪৮ অপরাহ্ণ
Imran Khan's graft conviction suspended: lawyer
Imran Khan's graft conviction suspended:
lawyer
Pakistani court
on Tuesday suspended former Prime Minister Imran Khan's recent conviction on
corruption charges, his lawyer Naeem Panjutha said, though it was unclear
whether this would lead to his release from jail.
The 70-year-old former
cricket hero has been at the centre of political turmoil in the crisis-ridden
nuclear-armed state since his ouster in a parliamentary vote of confidence in
April 2022, and his relations with Pakistan's powerful generals have
deteriorated badly over the past year, reports Reuters.
Khan was imprisoned on
Aug 5 after being sentenced to three years jail for unlawfully selling state
gifts during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. As a result of the
conviction, and with a national election expected in coming months, Pakistan's
Election Commission also barred Khan from contesting elections for five years.
"The
sentence has been suspended," Panjutha said on messaging platform X,
formerly known as Twitter, adding, "God be praised."
Khan's legal team lodged the appeal against his
conviction on the grounds that he was convicted without being given the right
to defend himself.
The court also ordered Khan's release on bail,
another one of his lawyers, Shoaib Shaheen, told reporters outside the court.
But it remains uncertain whether he will be freed as there are court orders for
his arrest in other cases.
Khan faces dozens of cases, including charges of
abetment to murder, leaking state secrets, and orchestrating violent protests.
He has already been arrested in connection with
another case, on charges of leaking state secrets and compromising national
security.
It is unclear how the ban on his contesting
elections will be affected with the suspension of his sentence. National
elections are due later this year, but they are likely to be delayed several
months.
The suspension marks
another win for Khan and comes a day after the Balochistan High Court dismissed
sedition charges against him, saying they had been improperly filed.