Imran Khan granted bail but will not be released from jail

Former Pakistan PM will stay in prison despite move over one charge because of at least eight others against him

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Imran Khan has been granted bail by a Pakistani court for one of the cases against him but the ex-prime minister is likely to remain in jail because of a host of other charges.
On Wednesday, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, of the Islamabad High Court, accepted the former cricketer’s bail plea in a trial relating to alleged illegal sale of state gifts.
But there was “no chance” of his release because of at least eight other charges against him, Pakistan’s information minister said.
“Release for him is not possible; there are many other cases he needs to secure bail in,” Attaullah Tarar told Pakistani media.
Mr Tarar added that the eight other charges related to the “mayhem” of May 9 2023, when Khan’s supporters rioted and stormed the Pakistani army’s headquarters in response to his arrest.
Khan, 72, has been in prison since August 2023 and has been embroiled in more than 150 criminal cases.
He has been convicted and received several sentences in other cases, including three years for “corrupt practices”, 10 years for leaking state secrets, 14 years in a corruption case and seven years for an unlawful marriage.
Khan, who was ousted from power in 2022 after opposition parties brought a no-confidence motion against him, has said that all the charges against him are politically motivated.
A spokesman for Khan told The Telegraph: “It was obvious, this was politically motivated. Like all other cases on Imran Khan, which now he has either been acquitted from or has been granted bail, there is no reason for him to be in prison.
“He has no case for him which justifies [a] prison sentence.”
The case for which he was granted bail on Wednesday is known as the Toshakhana, or the state treasury case.
The Pakistani government accused Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, of purchasing a Bulgari jewellery set – including a necklace, earrings, bracelets and rings – from the state repository for gifts at a steeply reduced price, allegedly causing a significant loss to public funds.
During a hearing at the Islamabad High Court, Justice Aurangzeb pressed the government’s lawyer to explain how the undervaluation directly benefited Khan.
The lawyer argued that any benefit to Khan’s wife benefited the former prime minister as well.
Justice Aurangzeb dismissed the claim as speculative. “My wife’s possessions are not mine, I’m not sure what century we’re living in,” he said, before granting bail to Khan.
The court ordered Khan to appear before the trial court following the bail.
In July, a UN human rights working group said that Khan has been arbitrarily imprisoned in violation of international law, apparently with an intention to disqualify him from running for political office.
A spokesman for Khan said that he believes the Pakistani government will “stoop again to low levels and put more cases on him, just to try to keep him in prison”.
Khan, who leads the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party, has called for supporters to protest nationwide on Sunday against the government, which, he said, has been installed through a “stolen mandate”.
In a message from prison, dated Nov 15, Khan said: “Democracy in the country has been annihilated. The country has been turned into a Banana Republic!”
He added: “This is why I am calling upon the Pakistani nation, that this is the time, to not only come out on November 24, but for every individual to take on the responsibility to launch a movement for mass mobilisation.
“Through this movement will the dream of genuine freedom, democracy, and rule of law be realised.
“Otherwise, life-long slavery will remain the nation’s destiny. If not now, then when? If not you, then who?”