Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court on Wednesday in a land corruption case, but he remains in jail due to convictions in two other cases, his lawyer confirmed.
Khan, who served as Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022, and his wife were indicted last week on charges of accepting land from a real estate developer in exchange for illegal favors. Khan, 71, denies any wrongdoing and had filed a bail application for this case. His party lawyer, Naeem Haider Panjutha, announced the bail decision on social media platform X, but clarified that Khan remains in custody due to convictions related to leaking state secrets and violating Islamic law through his marriage.
Khan has been imprisoned since August last year and has faced convictions in four cases, though sentences in two of these have been suspended. In addition to the corruption charges, Khan is facing numerous other legal challenges, including accusations of inciting violence against the state following his ousting from office in a 2022 parliamentary vote of no-confidence.
The case for which Khan received bail involves the Al-Qadir Trust, a non-governmental welfare organization established by Khan and his wife during his tenure as prime minister. Prosecutors allege the trust was used as a front to receive land bribes, including 60 acres near Islamabad and another large plot close to Khan's hilltop mansion in the capital.
Khan's media team released a statement following the bail announcement, asserting that the land was intended for a "religious and scientific" educational institution, not for personal gain. They claimed the cases were politically motivated to keep Khan in prison and prevent his participation in the upcoming national elections on February 8. Despite the legal hurdles, Khan’s party-backed candidates have won the most seats in recent elections, although they did not secure enough to form a government. The current administration is led by a coalition of his rivals under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Khan, who served as Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022, and his wife were indicted last week on charges of accepting land from a real estate developer in exchange for illegal favors. Khan, 71, denies any wrongdoing and had filed a bail application for this case. His party lawyer, Naeem Haider Panjutha, announced the bail decision on social media platform X, but clarified that Khan remains in custody due to convictions related to leaking state secrets and violating Islamic law through his marriage.
Khan has been imprisoned since August last year and has faced convictions in four cases, though sentences in two of these have been suspended. In addition to the corruption charges, Khan is facing numerous other legal challenges, including accusations of inciting violence against the state following his ousting from office in a 2022 parliamentary vote of no-confidence.
The case for which Khan received bail involves the Al-Qadir Trust, a non-governmental welfare organization established by Khan and his wife during his tenure as prime minister. Prosecutors allege the trust was used as a front to receive land bribes, including 60 acres near Islamabad and another large plot close to Khan's hilltop mansion in the capital.
Khan's media team released a statement following the bail announcement, asserting that the land was intended for a "religious and scientific" educational institution, not for personal gain. They claimed the cases were politically motivated to keep Khan in prison and prevent his participation in the upcoming national elections on February 8. Despite the legal hurdles, Khan’s party-backed candidates have won the most seats in recent elections, although they did not secure enough to form a government. The current administration is led by a coalition of his rivals under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
