On August 5, 2023, the court of Additional Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar in Islamabad was hearing a case against former Prime Minister Imran Khan concerning the failure to disclose assets in his election commission declarations. Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was accused of acquiring gifts from foreign dignitaries through the Toshakhana (state gift repository) at minimal costs and failing to declare them in his election filings.
Although the court had summoned Khan to appear in person, he was present at his residence in Zaman Park, Lahore. The judge repeatedly instructed Khan’s lawyers to present him in court, but compliance was not achieved. Despite incomplete arguments from Khan’s legal team, the court reserved its judgment and, at noon, sentenced Imran Khan to three years in prison along with a fine.
On that day, Khan’s lawyers had not submitted a request for his exemption from personal appearance. When the verdict was announced, they blamed each other for the failure to file the exemption plea.
The Islamabad police, seemingly prepared, dispatched a team led by a Superintendent to Lahore. Within two hours of the verdict, they arrested Khan at his Zaman Park residence. Initially, Khan was held in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail but was later transferred to Attock Jail. After spending one month and 21 days in Attock, he was returned to Adiala Jail.
Despite receiving judicial relief in various cases, Imran Khan has remained in Adiala Jail for over nine months. During this time, only close family members, lawyers, a few party leaders, and select journalists have had access to him. He also appeared via Skype in a Supreme Court hearing concerning amendments to the NAB Ordinance.
Over the past year, Khan has been acquitted in 13 cases dating back to March of the previous year. However, numerous other cases are still pending in different courts, with decisions expected to take considerable time.
Post-Arrest Cases Against Imran Khan
Following his arrest, Khan faced charges in a new case related to a cipher, which also saw the arrest of former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. On August 29, the Islamabad High Court suspended Khan’s sentence in the Toshakhana case, but his release was delayed due to the ongoing cipher case.
Subsequently, issues related to a marriage during the ‘iddah (waiting period)’ and another Toshakhana case emerged, with Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, also implicated. Both Khan and Bushra Bibi were sentenced in January of this year but were granted bail by relevant courts. Khan and Bushra Bibi were acquitted in the ‘iddah case after six months, and their bail was granted in the Toshakhana case on April 1 by the Islamabad High Court.
Despite appeals against the accountability court’s decisions still pending, the Supreme Court had earlier granted bail to Khan and Qureshi in the cipher case on December 22, 2023. However, the Islamabad High Court has yet to issue a detailed verdict on these appeals. Notably, the special court in Islamabad had sentenced Khan and Qureshi to ten years each in the cipher case.
The 190 Million Pound Case
In addition to the events of May 9, there is also the 190 million-pound case. The Islamabad High Court granted bail to Khan and Bushra Bibi in this case on May 15, 2024, but it is still ongoing in the accountability court. The case is nearing its conclusion, with the prosecutor expecting the court proceedings to wrap up in the next two weeks.
Khan and Bushra Bibi are also involved in another new Toshakhana case, where they have been granted an eight-day physical remand. They are scheduled to appear in court again on August 8. Investigations related to the May 9 incidents and contempt of the Election Commission hearings have continued at Adiala Jail.
As Imran Khan completes one year in custody, the array of cases against him continues to shape his legal battles and future.