New Delhi: The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday ordered the release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on bail after suspending the three-year jail sentence in the Toshakhana case.
The order was announced by a bench led by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jhangiri.
This order holds significant importance for the cricketer-turned-politician, as it comes just months before the upcoming national elections in Pakistan.
Imran Khan Arrest
Earlier, the Islamabad trial court convicted Khan in the Toshakhana case for concealing state gift details, resulting in a jail term and a five-year election disqualification. Khan had then filed appeals in the High Court and Supreme Court against his conviction and the case’s remand.
Khan was arrested from his residence in Lahore soon after being convicted in the Toshakhana case. According to Geo News, the court had also imposed a fine of 100,000 Pakistani rupees (PKR) on Imran Khan.
Toshakhana case
The Toshakhana controversy came to light when the ruling coalition, headed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), lodged a lawsuit against Imran Khan. Khan was accused of not revealing details about state gifts received at Toshakhana, including the alleged illegal sale of certain items.
Toshakhana is a department under the Cabinet Division of Pakistan, which was established in 1974. It stores valuable gifts bestowed upon government officials; officials also must report them as per regulations. However, Khan, upon taking office in 2018, chose not to disclose the gifts he received, citing potential harm to international relations, as per the Indian Express report.