Pakistan’s Supreme Court accepted on Wednesday the bail application of detained former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his lawyer said, a day after another court declared void a trial on charges of leaking state secrets.
The former cricket star is fighting a series of legal battles in the hope of securing his release from prison and leading his party in the campaign for the February 8 general election, which his main rival, another former prime minister, hopes to win.
The 71-year-old was jailed on August 5 for three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts while serving as prime minister from 2018 to 2022.
His lawyer said the Supreme Court had accepted the offer for bail.
“A decision will be made in the next hearing after arguments from both sides,” said lawyer Naeem Panjutha in a post on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter.
No date has been set for the hearing, he said, adding that the Supreme Court would seek input from the government on the application.
Khan has been at the center of a protracted political upheaval in nuclear-armed Pakistan that has highlighted the powerful military’s influence over public politics.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had a plea deal accepted by the country’s supreme court.REUTERS
He was forced from office in 2022 after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament, saying at the time that the military tried to oust him after he fell out with generals over top security appointments.
Although Khan cannot run in the February election because of his conviction, his party will face off against that of Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister who was ousted in a 1999 coup and forced from power again in 2017 by a court ruling.
Sharif returned home last month from four years in self-imposed exile to help his party retain power.
The political turmoil coincides with Pakistan’s worst economic situation in decades, raising concerns about the future of the country of 241 million people.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived to appear at the Islamabad High court to plead against Khan in Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday. Nov 21 2023.AP Pakistani activists and supporters protest the arrest of Khan on August 27, 2023, in Karachi.AFP via Getty Images
Pakistan has a long record of political rivalries that play out in legal battles.
Khan has dozens of cases filed against him.
He rejected accusations he said were cooked up by his enemies, including the military, to keep him out of politics.
The military, which has ruled directly or oversees the civilian government since Pakistan’s founding in 1947, denies involvement in Khan’s problems.
In a positive move for Khan, the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday declared the trial illegal on charges related to allegations that he leaked classified cables sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States last year.
Khan speaks to the media inside a hospital in Lahore, a day after the assassination attempt, on November 4, 2022. AFP via Getty Images
The court found the trial, which was held in prison for security reasons, did not meet legal requirements, meaning the prosecution would have to restart the case.
Khan was convicted and jailed in connection with a corruption case but the court suspended the sentence to allow him to be released on bail. He remains locked up in connection with another case.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
