ISLAMABAD: On Monday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) made a decision to suspend the sentence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, in the Toshakhana case.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq stated that the appeal against the conviction would be scheduled for a hearing after the Eid holidays.
In January, Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir had sentenced Khan and Bushra to 14 years in prison with rigorous punishment in the Toshakhana reference. Additionally, the judge had disqualified the former prime minister for 10 years and imposed a fine of Rs1.57 billion — Rs787 million each — on the couple.
During the court proceedings, Khan emphasized that his wife had no involvement in the case and was unfairly implicated.
Chief Justice Farooq mentioned during the hearing that the cipher case would conclude shortly.
He explained that scheduling the Toshakhana case for immediate hearing after today’s session was not feasible, as the cipher case was set for the following day and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) needed to present their arguments. Consequently, the hearing for the Toshakhana case is postponed until after Eid.
In addition to the Toshakhana case, the couple was also sentenced to seven years in prison each in a case related to their alleged illegal marriage on February 1. Earlier, on January 30, Khan and PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi were sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in the cipher case.
These consecutive rulings were issued against Khan just days before the February 8 general elections.
