The Islamabad High Court (IHC), on Monday, reserved its verdict on the case of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently facing jail term in the Toshakhana case. Khan, whose political career has been at stake as the ruling will decide whether he would contest the next general elections or would be barred from contesting polls for the next five years, would remain in jail for three years if the court's ruling does not come in favour of the former prime minister. The court will announce its verdict on Tuesday morning.
Earlier on August 5, a trial court in Islamabad had convicted him in the case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that involved concealing details of state gifts and jailed him for three years.
Subsequently, the former PM filed an appeal in the high court against his conviction. He had also approached the Supreme Court (SC) against the IHC’s decision to remand the case back to the trial court judge who had convicted him.
Earlier last week, Pakistan's Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial observed that there were prima facie "shortcomings" in the trial court’s judgment in the Toshakhana corruption case against Imran Khan and said that the Supreme Court would wait for the Islamabad High Court’s order on the former premier's appeal against his conviction and the three-year sentence before interfering in the case.
The chief justice's observation came as a three-judge special bench of the Supreme Court (SC) headed by him and comprising Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail heard the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief's pleas filed against the trial court's proceedings of the Toshakhana corruption case.
