ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday suspended the three-year sentence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan awarded to him in the Toshakhana case.
A two-member IHC bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri announced the short verdict that it reserved a day earlier.
The court directed the authorities to release the PTI chief on bail. The court said it would elaborate on the reasons for the suspension of the sentence in the detailed verdict to be issued later.
The court directed the PTI chief to submit a surety bond of Rs100, 000 against the bail. Earlier this month, a district and sessions court in the federal capital had sentenced Imran Khan to three years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs100, 000, after finding him guilty of corrupt practices related to the state gift repository.
The former prime minister, who has been disqualified from holding any public office due to the conviction, was arrested immediately after the trial court’s ruling on August 5 and has since been incarcerated in Attock jail.
A heavy contingent of police and Frontier Constabulary was present in and around the IHC premises when the reserved verdict was announced. Imran Khan’s sisters Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan also reached the court.
Meanwhile, a special court recently established to hear cases under the Official Secrets Act has directed the Attock Jail authorities- where Imran Khan is incarcerated- to keep Imran Khan in “judicial lockup” and produce him on Aug 30 (tomorrow) in connection with the cipher case.
