Pakistani court seeks government response over Imran Khan’s appeal, refuses to release him

ISLAMABAD: A top Pakistani court on Wednesday said it wanted to hear from the government before deciding over former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s appeal against his imprisonment on corruption charges.

Khan was arrested at his Lahore home on Saturday and given a three-year jail sentence on charges of concealing assets. He is held at the high-security prison Attock in the eastern Punjab province while his legal team seeks his release.

His appeal hearing is underway, but the Islamabad High Court gave Khan no immediate relief and he remains behind bars. The court said it seeks government response and would hear from the Election Commission of Pakistan’s lawyers before deciding on Khan’s appeal.

The commission last year disqualified Khan from holding public office for five years accusing him of unlawfully selling state gifts and concealing assets as premier. Khan was notified of his disqualification again on Tuesday following his sentencing.

The court adjourned without setting a date for the next hearing, dealing a blow to Khan’s legal team.

Since his arrest, Khan met only once with one of his lawyers, Naeem Haider Panjutha, at the Attock prison. Panjutha along with other lawyers were present on Khan’s behalf in court on Wednesday while the ex-premier remained in prison.

Panjutha asked for the former premier’s release, saying that Khan did not violate any laws and his arrest was illegal. Addressing reporters, he said, “we were not properly heard today.”

Khan’s lawyer had also asked on Monday for his transfer to a prison where there are special cells for under-trial and imprisoned politicians. Usually, high-profile personalities are kept at the Adiyala prison in Rawalpindi after their arrest.

Khan has denied the charges.

Parliament dissolution

This comes as Khan’s successor, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was set to dissolve parliament later Wednesday after the completion of its term.

Sharif held his last cabinet meeting and said in televised comments he had faced multiple challenges, including the country’s worst economic crisis and devastating floods which killed 1,739 people and caused $30 billion in damage in Pakistan in 2022.

Pakistan was able to negotiate a $3 billion bailout package with the International Monetary Fund, potentially saving the country from defaulting on its debt repayments.

Later, Sharif addressed lawmakers in the National Assembly.

Though the dissolution could pave the way for parliamentary elections by mid-November, the government could delay the vote by several months if it decides to redraw constituencies based on recent census results.

Under Pakistan’s constitution, after Sharif steps down and the parliament is disbanded, a caretaker government is installed to run day-to-day affairs for 90 days until the next election. So far Sharif has not revealed who will become the caretaker prime minister.