Pakistan: Pakistan’s Supreme Court has accepted a bail application from detained former Prime Minister, Mr. Imran Khan.
The decision comes shortly after another court declared his trial illegal for leaking state secrets. The former cricket star is hoping to secure bail and lead his party’s campaign for a February 8 general election.
On August 5, Mr. Khan was sentenced to three years in prison for selling gifts from the state without authorization while serving as Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022.
“A decision will come in the next hearing after arguments from both sides,” lawyer, Mr. Naeem Panjutha said in a post on the social media platform X.
As per the reports, no date has been set yet for the hearing. The lawyer added that the apex court will seek input from the government on the application.
Mr. Khan was ousted from office in 2022 after he lost a no-confidence vote in parliament. At the time, the former PM remarked that the military was trying to sideline him after he fell out with the generals over top security appointments.
According to reports, Mr. Khan is not allowed to run in the February election due to his conviction. However, his party will compete against the party of Mr. Nawaz Sharif, a former Prime Minister who was ousted in a 1999 coup and forced from power again in 2017 by a court ruling.
After living in self-exile for four years, Mr. Sharif came back to support his party’s resurgence last month. Pakistan has a long history of political rivalries being played out in legal battles.
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