ISLAMABAD: In a case involving an alleged leak of state secrets, Pakistan’s Supreme Court granted bail to former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday. This might be a big victory for his party ahead of the national elections in February.
Following his April 2022 ouster as prime minister, the 71-year-old former cricket star is embroiled in legal and political troubles. His three-year prison term in August for accepting state gifts while serving in public office from 2018 to 2022 has kept him out of the public eye.
Because there were multiple arrest warrants out for Imran Khan, his lawyer, Salman Safdar, told reporters following the court that it was uncertain when or if Khan would be released from custody.
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A three-judge panel granted bail to Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi after they each posted surety bonds totaling one million Pakistani rupees ($3,600). This month, both were charged with felonies.
Salman Safdar, Khan’s lawyer, told reporters outside the court that Khan had multiple arrest warrants out for him and that it was unclear when or if he would be released from detention.
A three-judge panel granted bail to Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi after they each posted surety bonds totaling one million Pakistani rupees ($3,600). This month, both were charged with felonies.
Khan’s release would be extremely beneficial to his party even if he was unable to run for government, as it would allow him to spearhead the campaign in the last hours before the elections.
Khan is regarded as the nation’s most popular leader. He won the most recent general election in 2018.
He claims that the strong military is pursuing him and attempting to dissuade him from running for public office. The military refutes the accusation.
Shivam Patel wrote the piece, Jan Harvey and Nick Macfie edited it, while Ariba Shahid in Karachi and Stringer in Islamabad provided the reporting.
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