Pakistan’s ex-PM Imran Khan launches appeal against corruption conviction
8 August 2023, 18:14
The former cricketer is being held in the high-security Attock jail in eastern Punjab province.
Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has appealed against his conviction and three-year prison sentence in a corruption case, his lawyer said.
Naeem Haider Panjutha said the Islamabad High Court will hear the appeal on Wednesday.
Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022 but remains the country’s leading opposition figure, was convicted and jailed on Saturday on charges of concealing assets after selling state gifts he received while in power.
Mr Panjutha met Khan in the high-security Attock jail in eastern Punjab province.
The former cricket star has denied the charges, saying he did not violate any laws.
In the appeal, Khan’s lawyers said the former premier’s conviction should be “set aside” and declared “illegal and without lawful authority”. It also requested the court acquit Khan, claiming he was arrested illegally.
Mr Panjutha told reporters outside the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday that they are also seeking better facilities for Khan through another petition which has been filed at the court.
Since Khan’s conviction, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Inaf party and critics have said the former premier was being politically victimised by the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a charge the government denies.
Mr Sharif replaced Khan last year after his ousting and is likely to step down on Wednesday after the five-year term of the current parliament.
His ruling Pakistan Muslim League party will face tough competition from Khan’s party.
Pakistan’s Election Commission on Tuesday disqualified Khan from running for office for five years, based on his conviction and sentence.
Under Pakistan’s laws, no convicted person is eligible to lead his party or contest elections, or hold any public office. But if Khan’s conviction is overturned by the Islamabad High Court, he will be allowed to contest the upcoming vote.
On Monday, Mr Panjutha told reporters that the former premier was in good spirits and maintaining “a high morale” despite the harsh conditions at the Attock jail. The prison was established in 1905 during British colonial rule, which ended in 1947 when Pakistan and neighbouring India became independent.
The jail is known for holding convicted militants and the most hardcore criminals during trial proceedings. Mr Panjutha has said Khan is being held in a “small room at the prison where there is no air conditioner and where there are flies in daytime and insects at night”.
Khan’s legal team has also approached another court in Islamabad to seek better facilities.
Khan was previously arrested in May on corruption charges, triggering a wave of violent protests that swept the country. Days later, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered his release, saying his arrest was illegal.
Since his sentencing on Saturday, Khan has renewed his call for mass protests, but has failed to gain traction among his supporters. Khan has claimed that his ousting from power was a conspiracy by Washington, Mr Sharif and the Pakistani military — accusations that all three deny.
