New Delhi

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) gave a major relief to former Prime Minister Imran Khan by suspending his three-year sentence in the Toshakhana case.

The order was announced by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahan­giri on Khan's appeal against his prison term.

On August 5, a trial court in Islamabad convicted the PTI chief in the case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that involved concealing details of state gifts and jailed him for three years. Following the verdict Khan faced disqualification from contesting general elections for five years.

According to Dawn newspaper, Khan has also approached the Supreme Court against the IHC’s decision to remand the case back to the trial court judge who had convicted him.

A day ago, ECP’s counsel Advocate Amjad Pervaiz concluded his arguments and urged the court to issue a notice to the state to make it a respondent in the case. For his part, Imran’s lawyer Latif Khosa had said he had no objections to Pervaiz’s plea but had also expressed that the action was not required by the law.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) last night, former interior minister Rana Sanaullah said, “He [Imran] will not come outside [of the jail] — release is not possible, [he] will have to face the prosecution in other cases.

 Imran’s sisters Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan had also reached the court.

Imran’s legal team filed a fresh petition in the IHC today seeking directives to refrain authorities from further “illegal and unjustified arrest” of the former premier in any case filed against him after August 5, when he was convicted in the Toshakhana case.

The Toshakhana case, filed by lawmakers of the then coalition government, was based on a criminal complaint filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The case alleged that Imran had “deliberately concealed” details of the gifts he retained from the Toshaskhana — a repository where presents handed to government officials from foreign officials are kept — during his time as the prime minister and proceeds from their reported sales.

According to Toshakhana rules, gifts/presents and other such materials received by persons to whom these rules apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division.

Imran has faced a number of legal issues over his retention of gifts. The issue also led to his disqualification by the ECP.