By On Friday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) once again postponed the hearing regarding the suspension of a three-year jail sentence for former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Imran Khan is currently serving time in Attock Jail due to the Toshakhana case.
Today, Advocate Amjad Pervaiz, who represents the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), was supposed to wrap up his arguments. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make it to court due to severe illness, according to a member of his team. As a result, the IHC decided to adjourn the hearing until August 28 (Monday).
Back on August 5, a trial court in Islamabad convicted Imran Khan in a case brought by the ECP, which involved concealing details of state gifts. This conviction led to a three-year jail term and a five-year disqualification from contesting general elections.
Just the day before, Imran’s counsel, Latif Khosa, presented arguments before an IHC division bench. He focused on three key aspects: Imran’s release due to a short sentence, jurisdictional issues, and improper authorization by the ECP. Subsequently, Khosa, along with Salman Akram Raja and Barrister Ali Gohar, completed their arguments on behalf of Imran.
However, the ECP’s lawyer argued against suspending the sentence, stating that superior courts could only suspend the sentence of prisoners who had served at least six months.
In the meantime, the Supreme Court reiterated its decision to halt proceedings on Imran’s plea until the IHC reached a decision. The Supreme Court also surprised many by ordering the Attorney-General for Pakistan (AGP), Mansoor Usman Awan, to provide an official report on Imran’s living conditions by August 28.
After the hearing concluded, Khosa and others found themselves stuck in an elevator at the IHC. His assistant lawyer, Suzane Jahan, protested, claiming that no action was being taken despite her complaints to the administration.
It took more than half an hour, but eventually, the trapped individuals were safely rescued from the elevator through the combined efforts of lawyers and a specialized rescue team called to resolve the issue.
In the previous month, a session court had declared that the ECP’s reference against Imran Khan was valid. This decision was subsequently challenged in the IHC.
On August 2, Judge Dilawar had ruled that Imran’s legal team failed to establish the relevance of their witnesses. He warned the defense counsel to conclude their arguments promptly, or the court would reserve an order.
The IHC then granted a brief pause to Imran’s case, asking the judge to re-evaluate the jurisdiction and any procedural lapses in the ECP’s complaint. However, a day later, the trial court convicted the former Prime Minister.
