Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has moved the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking suspension of the sentence awarded in the Toshakhana-2 case and his release on bail on medical and humanitarian grounds.
Filed through Barrister Salman Safdar and Salman Akram Raja, the jailed PTI founder requested the court to suspend the sentence and grant bail.
In December last year, a special court sentenced Imran and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 17 years’ imprisonment each in the Toshakhana-2 case involving the under-priced purchase and eventual sale of luxury state gifts.
Moreover, a separate application has also been moved requesting an early hearing of a plea seeking suspension of the sentence in the high-profile Al-Qadir Trust case or the £190 million scam.
“…the petitioner [Imran] is afflicted with a serious ailment of his right eye,” the miscellaneous application read and added, “the Petitioner has [an] exceptionally strong case for the suspension of the sentence on merits of the case as well as on medical grounds that recently surfaced during a hearing before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of Pakistan.”
The counsel maintained that the PTI founder’s right eye has been severely damaged due to a blood clot, leaving him “with only 15% vision in his right eye”.
“Medical complication is of such gravity and seriousness that the same cannot be treated inside the jail premises,” the application read.
According to the application, the petitioner’s conviction in the Toshakhana-2 case forms part of an “ongoing campaign of political victimisation”.
It contended that since his removal from office, Imran and his spouse have faced multiple prosecutions across various jurisdictions, reflecting what it describes as a “relentless and targeted pattern of legal action”.
The plea further alleged that investigative agencies — including the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) — have been used as political tools by opponents to pursue “politically motivated cases”.
“Investigative Agencies, including NAB, FIA, ECP and others have been visibly manipulated as a political tool by the petitioner’s political opponents, with their resources repeatedly used to settle political scores,” the application added.
This is a developing story and is being updated with further details.
