Pakistan court suspends Imran Khan’s prison sentence in state gifts case

A court in Pakistan has suspended former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s jail sentence in a case related to illegal selling of state gifts.

A court in Pakistan has suspended former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s jail sentence in a case related to illegal selling of state gifts.

Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were each handed a 14-year sentence in the case on January 31 – just a week ahead of the February 8 elections, which Khan’s party alleges were rigged.

The Islamabad High Court on Monday said the couple’s sentence will remain suspended until a decision is taken on the case after the Eid holidays, which begin in 10 days.

Khan, 71, is accused of not disclosing assets based on the sale of state gifts worth more than 140 million rupees ($504,000) he received when he was the prime minister from 2018 to April 2022.

The case was brought by Pakistan’s anticorruption agency, which accused Khan and his wife of unlawfully buying and selling the gifts.