Court suspends Imran’s sentencing in graft case
ISLAMABAD: 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.
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.
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.
SC to probe intel agencies’ role in interference case
Pakistan’s Supreme Court, on Monday, decided to hear the case about a stunning letter by six high court judges about alleged interference in judicial matters by the country’s powerful intelligence agencies.
The decision comes after the government on Saturday appointed a one-member commission headed by former chief Supreme Court justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani to hold an inquiry into the allegations levelled by the judges and submit its report in 60 days. Jillani had, however, declined.
The government had been criticised by Imran Khan’s PTI and lawyers for alleged interference. The Supreme Court set up a seven-member bench to hear the case from Wednesday. However, uncertainty remains over the fate of government’s probe commission.
12 held in connection with terror attack on Chinese
At least 12 people, including the mastermind, have been arrested in connection with last week’s suicide bombing that killed five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, officials said.
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), which launched a probe into the attack, blamed the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group for the assault, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.