PTI Chairman Imran Khan has been re-arrested moments after his sentence in the Toshakhana criminal case was suspended.
Imran Khan was arrested in the cipher case and sent on judicial remand till August 30. The decision was announced by Official Secrets Act court judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain.
The special court has sent the written verdict to the Attock Jail superintendent. It ordered to present Imran Khan in the court on August 30.
The judge remarked that the suspect is on judicial remand in a case under the Official Secrets Act. The suspect should be kept in jail and presented in court on August 30.
Moments ago, the Islamabad High Court had suspended the sentence of PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana criminal case.
A division bench of IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri accepted Imran Khan’s appeal and pronounced the decision.
The court has ordered to release Imran Khan from jail. The PTI chief has been asked to submit bail bonds of Rs100,000.
The high court’s division bench had reserved its decision on Monday in an appeal filed by Imran Khan seeking suspension of his sentence in the Toshakhana case. It said it would announce the verdict at 11am today.
Separately, Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi met him in the Attock District Jail. His sisters Aleema and Uzma Khan also met with their brother later.
All those accompanying Bushra Bibi were earlier stopped at the jail checkpost. After their separate meetings with Khan, his sisters and wife left the jail together.
At the previous hearing, Election Commission of Pakistan’s lawyer Amjad Pervaiz had completed his arguments.
He had said the PTI chairman concealed the Toshakhana information in his asset details, and then opposed the appeal for suspension of sentence.
The counsel said it is necessary to issue a notice to the public prosecutor in the case. The hearing should not proceed without issuing notices to the state and hearing their side, Amjad Pervaiz requested.
The chief justice remarked that a complainant is never made a party in NAB cases. The state does not appear in NAB cases and a bureau prosecutor is heard, the counsel responded.
The law does not mention the word complainant, only the state is mentioned, the ECP lawyer contended.
Amjad Pervaiz said there is not a single judgment where a complaint of corrupt practices has been filed with the magistrate.
The other party said the complaint cannot be sustained as it was not filed before the correct forum, he stated, adding that it is not true and the situation is completely the opposite.
They have also harassed the judge who delivered the verdict in the Toshakhana case, the ECP counsel claimed, adding that the defence has adopted the stance that this is the first case in which the suspect was not given the opportunity to defend himself.
All the members of the Election Commission of Pakistan unanimously approved filing of the complaint in their decision, the lawyer remarked.
Amjad Pervaiz said the trial court held 44 hearings out of which Imran Khan only appeared in four.