A Pakistani court suspends the conviction and sentence of corruption against former Prime Minister Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD – A Pakistani appeals court on Tuesday stayed Imran Khan’s corruption conviction and three-year prison sentence, a legal victory for the hugely popular former prime minister, his lawyers and court officials said.

Hours after the announcement, the Islamabad High Court said, in a written ruling, that it had released Khan on bail after completing a bail of 100,000 Pakistani rupees ($328).

Khan, 70, will not be able to run for office in the elections currently scheduled for November unless his conviction is overturned.

In Tuesday’s ruling, only the appeals court suspended Khan’s sentence and conviction, and the court itself will decide whether to overturn the conviction at a later date, according to Heshmat Habib, an Islamabad-based legal expert.

But that hasn’t stopped one of Khan’s lawyers from claiming victory for the former prime minister.

Babar Awan told reporters after announcing the decision: “Imran Khan is once again entitled to lead his party Tehrik-e-Insaf Pakistan after today’s court order.”

Khan denied the charges, insisting he had not broken any rules.

Khan will continue to be detained until at least Wednesday due to his arrest in another case for allegedly disclosing official secrets. Khan faces many other charges since he was ousted by a vote of no confidence in parliament in April 2022.

Khan’s lawyer, Shoaib Shaheen, said the Islamabad High Court issued a summary oral order before the written verdict. Khan was convicted and sentenced earlier this month by a court that found him concealing assets after selling state gifts he received while in office.

Earlier this month, Pakistan’s Election Commission disqualified Khan from running for the presidency for a five-year term. Under Pakistani laws, no convicted person may lead a party, stand for election or hold public office.

Zulfiqar Bukhari, Khan’s spokesman, welcomed the court order in a statement, expressing hope that the former prime minister would be released from Attock prison in eastern Punjab province where he has been held since his arrest earlier this month.

He said the legal battle to acquit Khan would continue. Bukhari said he was now praying that “no adventure should take place now and Imran Khan should not be arrested again” as he was leaving prison or on his way home to the eastern city of Lahore, the capital of Punjab.

Shortly after Khan was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court, another court asked the official in charge of Attock prison to keep him there until at least Wednesday, when Khan is expected to face a hearing for “disclosing a secret official document” in the country. An incident last year when he waved a secret diplomatic message at a rally, describing it as evidence that he was being threatened and claiming that his overthrow was a plot.

The document, which has been dubbed “Cipher”, has not been made public by the government, but appears to have been diplomatic correspondence between the Pakistani ambassador in Washington and the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad.

Since his ouster, Khan has said his ouster was a plot orchestrated by the United States, his successor, Shahbaz Sharif, and the Pakistani military – accusations he all deny. Sharif stepped down from his post this month after the parliament’s term expired.

Sharif took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to criticize Tuesday’s court ruling, saying it was expected by everyone. If thieves and state terrorists are facilitated, he said, where will the common man (will) get justice in the country?

On the other hand, Pakistan is facing deepening economic and political turmoil.

The inflation rate was 13.4% when Sharif assumed power in April 2022, but the country recorded a record monthly inflation rate of 37% in April 2023, indicating Sharif’s failure to revive the economy. Many Pakistanis are now facing rising prices. They also received higher energy bills this month, sparking outrage among people who say the bills have eaten up their entire paycheck.

The upcoming vote was complicated by the election oversight body announcing that the elections should be delayed for at least three to four months because they needed more time to redraw constituencies to reflect the recent population census.

Under the constitution, the vote is scheduled for October or November. Until then, caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar is in charge of day-to-day affairs. Kakkar said he will ensure that the voting is conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner.