IHC Suspends Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s 14-Year Prison Sentence in Toshakhana Case

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday suspended the 14-year prison term of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana case, as reported by The News International.

Justice Aamir Farooq of the IHC presided over the case and mentioned that the appeal challenging the sentence would be scheduled for a hearing after the Eid holidays.

In February, the IHC acknowledged the appeals filed by Imran Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, challenging their convictions in the Toshakhana cases, as reported by Dawn.

An Accountability Court (AC) in Pakistan handed Imran and his wife, Bushra Bibi, a 14-year jail term in the Toshakhana case, just days before the general elections.

Additionally, the court disqualified Khan from holding any public office for the next 10 years. The couple was also fined PKR 1.573 billion as part of the verdict.

Bushra Bibi argued in her appeal that her conviction was influenced by the “power corridors” as reported by Dawn.

She additionally asserted that the conviction relied on the “false statement” of Syed Inamullah Shah, a former comptroller in the Prime Minister’s Office, as per Dawn.

Bibi mentioned that Imran Khan had directed his military secretary to deposit the alleged graft jewellery set in Toshakhana. However, the prosecution claimed that the set was not deposited. Bibi further urged the court to annul the conviction and suspend her sentence until a decision on her appeal is reached, according to Dawn.

Meanwhile, Khan, in his appeal, argued that the trial was conducted in violation of the fundamental right to a fair trial, despite the full cooperation extended by the convicts and their counsels to the court.

The Toshakhana case emerged as a significant issue in national politics following the Election Commission of Pakistan’s disqualification of the PTI chief last year for making “false statements and incorrect declarations”, according to ARY News.