By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Lawyers for jailed former prime minister Imran Khan petitioned the Islamabad High Court on Saturday to suspend his 17-year prison sentence in a corruption case and secure his release on bail, citing severe deterioration in his health, including significant vision loss in his right eye, according to court documents and a statement from his party.
The move by Khan’s legal team at the Islamabad High Court comes amid mounting protests by opposition groups demanding better medical care for the 73-year-old politician, who has been held at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail since August 2023. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party described the filing as a bid to avert a “grave miscarriage of justice” while his appeal against the conviction is pending.
In the petition, filed by barristers Salman Safdar and Salman Akram Raja, the lawyers argued that Khan’s continued incarceration posed serious risks given his medical condition. A report from a specialist at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, referenced in the filing, diagnosed severe damage to Khan’s right eye caused by a blood clot, leaving him with only 15% vision in the affected eye. “This medical complication is of such gravity and seriousness that the same cannot be treated inside the jail premises,” the petition stated, adding that the issue had emerged during recent Supreme Court proceedings.
The health assessment followed a rare prison visit earlier this week by Safdar, whom the Supreme Court appointed as amicus curiae to evaluate Khan’s living conditions and well-being. Safdar’s report, submitted to the apex court, highlighted the vision loss and prompted the latest legal action. Khan’s conviction dates to Dec. 20, 2025, when a special court found him and his wife, Bushra Bibi, guilty in the Toshakhana-2 case involving the underpriced acquisition and sale of luxury state gifts, including a Bulgari jewellery set. The court imposed a 10-year sentence for criminal breach of trust under Section 409 of the Pakistan Penal Code and an additional seven years under Section 5 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with a combined fine of Rs16.4 million.
The petition contended that the dual convictions for the same alleged act violated legal principles against double jeopardy, as outlined in Section 26 of the General Clauses Act. It further argued that the trial court had erred in classifying Khan as a “public servant” under the penal code, citing recent Supreme Court rulings and precedents from India’s top court that elected officials do not qualify as such for corruption charges.
Khan’s lawyers maintained that the gifts were duly deposited in the state repository, known as Toshakhana, and retained only after paying 50% of their assessed value above a Rs30,000 exemption, in line with the 2018 policy. They also challenged the prosecution’s handling of witnesses, including the decision to treat Sohaib Abbasi as an approver without following mandatory procedures under Section 337 of the Criminal Procedure Code, and failing to charge Syed Inamullah Shah as an accused despite his role in the transaction.
The filing portrayed the case as part of a broader pattern of “unprecedented political victimization” since Khan’s ouster from power in a no-confidence vote in 2022. It accused investigative bodies such as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Election Commission of Pakistan of being manipulated by political opponents to pursue “politically motivated cases.”
The Toshakhana-2 probe began with NAB arresting Khan and his wife in July 2024, holding them for 37 days before filing charges. After a Supreme Court ruling restored NAB amendments, the case shifted to an FIA anti-corruption court, which held 80 hearings at Adiala jail before delivering the verdict. The judge cited Khan’s age and Bushra Bibi’s gender as factors in sentencing.
Separately, Khan’s team filed an application for an early hearing on suspending his sentence in the high-profile Al-Qadir Trust case, also known as the 190 million pound scam. The registrar’s office is expected to schedule that matter before a bench next week. The health-focused petition has fueled ongoing protests by the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan alliance, which includes PTI members. Demonstrators staged a sit-in outside Parliament House in Islamabad that entered its second day on Saturday, with some supporters blocking the Hazara motorway in PTI-ruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to local media reports.
“This sit-in will continue until Imran Khan is transferred to Al-Shifa Hospital,” the alliance posted on the social media platform X. Government officials have pushed back against allegations of neglect. On Friday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told reporters there would be no lapses in Khan’s care. “Medical report will be compiled again, the chief justice of the Supreme Court is himself monitoring this case,” Chaudhry said. “Wherever it will be requested, Imran Khan’s eye will be examined at.”
Khan, a former cricket captain who led Pakistan to its 1992 World Cup victory before entering politics, has faced dozens of cases since his removal from office. His supporters view the legal barrage as an effort to sideline him ahead of future elections, while critics accuse him of abusing power during his 2018-2022 tenure.
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