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The Islamabad High Court on Monday suspended the 14-year sentence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana case, reported The News International.
Justice Aamir Farooq of the IHC heard the case and said that the appeal against the punishment would be fixed for hearing after the Eid holidays. Earlier in February, the IHC accepted the appeals of Imran Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, against their convictions in the Toshakhana cases, as reported by Dawn. An Accountability Court (AC) in Pakistan sentenced Imran and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 14 years in jail in the Toshakhana case, days before the general elections. The court not only imposed rigorous imprisonment but also disqualified Khan from holding any public office for the next 10 years. The couple was fined PKR 1.573 billion as part of the judgement. Bushra Bibi, in her appeal, contended that the "power corridors" were behind her conviction, according to Dawn. She further said that the conviction was based on the "false statement" of Syed Inamullah Shah, a former comptroller in the Prime Minister's Office. Imran Khan had instructed his military secretary to deposit the graft jewellery set in Toshakhana, however, the prosecution alleged that the set was not deposited, Bibi said. She further requested the court set aside the conviction and suspend her sentence till a decision on her appeal is made, Dawn reported. Meanwhile, Khan, in his appeal, pleaded that the trial was conducted in violation of the fundamental right to a fair trial, even though the convicts and their counsels extended full cooperation to the court. The Toshakhana case became a major point of contention in national politics after the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified the PTI chief for making "false statements and incorrect declarations" last year, ARY News reported. (ANI)
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