The Islamabad High Court (IHC) is scheduled to hear the appeal of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan against his 14-year sentence in the Toshakhana case on October 29. The IHC bench, led by Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Gul Hasan Aurangzeb, accepted pleas for an early hearing of Khan’s appeal, which had been pending since the Accountability Court’s ruling.
The Accountability Court, presided over by Judge Muhammad Bashir, sentenced both Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 14 years each in the Toshakhana case. However, the IHC later suspended this sentence, allowing Imran Khan to be released on bail while the appeal is heard.
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In addition, the IHC has instructed the executive director of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to form a medical board for Imran Khan’s examination, including his personal physician, Dr. Faisal Sultan. A report on his health is to be submitted to the Registrar Office, and a copy of the order has been sent to the Adiala Jail superintendent for compliance.
Meeting with lawyers
In a related development, Imran Khan was granted the opportunity to meet with his lawyers for the first time in over 20 days, following a court intervention. This came after his wife was released from a nine-month detention.
A single-member IHC bench, led by Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, resumed hearing a contempt of court petition filed by PTI’s Faisal Chaudhry Advocate regarding the authorities’ refusal to allow these meetings. The petitioner’s lawyer pointed out that the lawyers had been barred from meeting Imran since October 3, questioning the security rationale behind the ban.
State counsel explained that restrictions were due to security threats and a ban imposed by the Punjab government on jail meetings because of the law and order situation.
