Imran's Khan party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Tuesday demanded the immediate release of the jailed prime minister following the suspension of his three-year sentence in the Toshakhana corruption case by the Islamabad High Court.
Khan is currently in Attock Jail in Punjab province following his arrest from his Lahore home earlier this month.
A division bench comprising Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri suspended the 70-year-old PTI chief's three-year sentence in the Toshakhana case and ordered his release from jail.
Reacting to the development, the PTI demanded that Khan should be released from the jail on Tuesday itself.
A video posted by the party on X showed lawyers chanting “riha karo [release him]” outside the IHC, the Dawn newspaper reported.
“The high court has fulfilled the requirements of justice. I’ll tell you why: Aside from the merits of the Toshakhana case — which are baseless — the trial judge did not allow Imran to submit witnesses in his defence. If witnesses in one’s defence are not allowed, there is no greater [example of a] mistrial,” PTI Barrister Ali Zafar was quoted as saying by Geo News.
PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen said that Khan should be provided compensation for the number of days he was kept behind bars. He was jailed on August 5.
According to PTI Information Secretary Raoof Hasan, Khan’s arrest in any other case after the suspension of his sentence in the Toshakhana case would be “ill-intentioned and mala fide”.
“We are fortunate to be witnessing the re-scripting of Pakistan’s political and legal history,” he said, adding that “justice shall prevail”.
PTI leader Taimur Khan Jhagra said the nation expected Imran to be released from jail on Tuesday itself.
“The ‘abuse of the law’ campaign against Imran Khan has sunk the country’s systems far enough. We cannot afford more,” he said on X.
Senator Faisal Javed Khan posted verses from the Holy Quran expressing gratitude to the court.
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