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A PAKISTAN HIGH court has suspended former prime minister Imran Khan’s prison sentence for a graft conviction, his lawyer has said, but it is unclear if he will be immediately released.
A spokesman for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said the Islamabad High Court had overturned a lower court’s decision this month to imprison him for three years, a judgement which barred him from contesting upcoming elections.
His party and lawyers said he was granted bail, but they feared the 70-year-old would be rearrested over one of the more than 200 cases levelled against him since he was was ousted by parliamentary vote in April 2022.
“We have filed a separate application requesting the court pass an order barring the authorities from arresting him in any other case,” Gohar Khan, one of the lawyers, told AFP.
“If authorities arrest him in any other case, it will be against his legal rights.”
Khan has been in prison for three weeks since a judge found him guilty of failing to properly declare gifts he received while in office.
Anticipating his release, Khan’s legal team said they would head for Attock Jail, a century-old prison around 60km west of the capital, Islamabad.
But political commentator Omar Quraishi told AFP “it remains to be seen if the former prime minister will be released and if so, when”, because of the volume of other cases involving Khan.
The charismatic 70-year-old is Pakistan’s most popular politician and claims his ousting and subsequent legal cases have been orchestrated by the powerful military establishment to deny him a second term.
Khan was also briefly jailed on graft charges in May, sparking days of civil unrest, but since then, his PTI party has been targeted by a major crackdown which has vastly diminished his street power and seen most of his senior leadership jump ship or be locked away.
Islamabad said it was targeted by “anti-state” violence during backlash over that arrest.
But rights groups say authorities used overly broad anti-terror laws to suppress PTI, and the domestic press reported pressure to censor or smear Khan on the airwaves.
While Khan was imprisoned this month, Pakistan’s parliament was dissolved at the request of his successor Shehbaz Sharif to pave the way for a caretaker government which will usher in elections in the coming months.
No date for the polls has yet been announced.
Khan, a former cricket star, surged to power in 2018 on a wave of popular support, an anti-corruption manifesto and the backing of the powerful military establishment.
When he was ousted in April last year, analysts said it was because he lost the support of those same generals who handed him the keys to office.
He was replaced by a shaky coalition of the dynastic parties which have historically ruled Pakistan.
But as an opposition politician, he waged an unprecedented campaign against the influential generals, who have staged at least three successful coups leading to decades of martial law.
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Shatter resign now
Callinan resign now
Between the GSOC affair and the McCabe dossier, if there was no cover up going on, then 3 months out from the local elections this government should be falling over themselves to be seen to spearhead the push for an open and independent investigation into all of these matters.
Instead, we have a ‘review’ and an investigation into whenther an investigation is needed.
It stinks, and the damage it has done to public perception of our institutions of law and order for the sake of protecting the minister and commissioner is truly sickening.
McCabe for commissioner
Maurice McCabe will be the only 1 to suffer here, Shitter & co will never be beaten.
In the end your right.
correct cos the people of ireland sat back and let it all happen instead of demanding justice and the right thing be done!! shame on us all for continually giving these corrupt fcukers a free pass to keep screwing the good left in the country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A LOT OF €€€€€€€€€
“When a finger points at the moon, the imbecile looks at the finger”.
Confusius
Think, finger = whistle blower
imbecile = MINISTER.
‘Whether it is considered desirable in the public interest for the Government to establish a commission of investigation’. These words kinda sum up the get out clause. Whitewash, I’ve heard there is quite an abundance around Merrion Square
the people of ireland should be out on the streets demanding an end to all this diversionary bullshit, spin, lies, corruption etc.
instead our responce is
carry on as normal lads cos we’re never going to say enough is enough, get as powerful and dirty as ye like, don’t even bother to hide it anymore cos we all know what’s going on, tis great craic, please sir, can i have some more!!
Maurice Mc Cabe for President as he is the only one with integrity. The commissioner has no place to go. Why is it in Ireland nobody resigns? I bet he may retire soon and ride off with both satchels full of cash. If he were fired he may even face prosecution. Shatter could face the same but I doubt it.
Interesting to note Shatter will not be interviewed. From statements he has made to the Dail and in public I would have thought he has all the facts and figures to help this investigation….
Seems shatter has shit on kenny and co
And after all that – when the Taoiseach gets the report – what then????
have your say