Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan will not be released from Attock Jail even though the Islamabad High Court suspended the three-year sentence in the Toshakhana case.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief will remain in jail in connection with the cipher case and following orders from a special court.
He will be presented before that court on August 30. Former foreign minister of Pakistan Shah Mehmood Qureshi is also facing proceedings in the same case.
The cipher case is related to a diplomatic document which Imran Khan alleges contained a threat from the United States to oust Imran from power. The document went missing from Imran Khan’s possession.
“We have filed a separate application requesting the court pass an order barring the authorities from arresting him in any other case. If authorities arrest him in any other case, it will be against his legal rights,” Imran Khan’s lawyer Gohar Khan said.
However, the special court sent a letter to authorities in Attock prison which said: “That accused Imran Khan Niazi s/o Ikramullah Khan Niazi r/o Zaman Park, Lahore is hereby ordered for judicial remand in case FIR mentioned above, who is already detained in district jail, Attock”.
Imran Khan will remain in judicial lockup, the Dawn said in its report.
Outside Attock Jail, Imran Khan’s supporters had amassed hoping that their leader would be released. Chants “Release Imran Khan!” and “Khan, your devotees are countless!" were heard outside the Attock Jail but it still remains unclear if and when Imran Khan will be released.
PTI leader Taimur Khan Jhagra said that the nation is demanding that Imran Khan be released today itself. “The nation now expects Imran Khan to be released today. The “abuse of the law" campaign against Imran Khan has sunk the country’s systems far enough. We cannot afford more,” Jhagra posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan’s former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, who dissolved the government earlier this month, took aim at the judiciary and the apex court.
“The Chief Justice of Pakistan’s message of ’good to see you’ and ‘wish you good luck’ has reached the IHC,” Shehbaz Sharif said while reacting to the news and highlighted that Imran’s sentence had been suspended and “not terminated”.
“Everyone knew about the verdict before it was even announced. This moment is a matter of concern for our justice system. If a clear message is received from the higher judiciary, what else should the subordinate court do?” Sharif further added.