ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was granted bail by Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday on land corruption charges but will have to stay in jail to serve time in two other cases.
The PTI founder chairman who is currently incarcerated for separate convictions, including breaches related to divulging state secrets and violating Islamic marital laws, was indicted last week on charges that he and his wife were gifted land by a real estate developer when Khan was prime minister from 2018-22 in exchange for illegal favors.
Khan, a former cricket icon, faces allegations of receiving land as illicit favors during his tenure from 2018 to 2022. Despite denying any misconduct, Khan’s bail application was accepted by the Islamabad High Court. However, he continues to serve time due to previous convictions. His legal battles extend beyond corruption charges, with accusations of instigating violence against the state following his ousting in a 2022 parliamentary vote. Even his wife, Bushra Bibi, is imprisoned for their unconventional marriage in 2018.
The recent bail pertains to the Al-Qadir Trust, an NGO established during Khan’s premiership, alleged to have been a guise for personal enrichment through land gifts. Khan’s defense maintains the land was intended for charitable and educational purposes. His media team alleges these legal battles aim to sideline him from the political arena, particularly ahead of the upcoming national elections on Feb. 8.
Despite his legal woes, Khan’s party secured significant electoral victories, although they fell short of forming a government, which is now led by a coalition headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Khan’s political adversary.
