The Islamabad High Court, on Wednesday, granted former Premier Imran Khan bail in the latest Toshakhana case, though his freedom remains far from certain. IHC Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, during a hearing of the petition filed by Khan’s counsel, approved the bail petition upon furnishing two bonds of Rs 1 million each. He further put on record that Khan will have to cooperate with the trial court and failure to do so will attract the revocation of his bail.
With this development, despite the fact that there are a number of other pending cases against Khan, his release is cumbersome. His legal team’s request for pre-arrest bail in these matters was also rejected by the LHC. Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were arrested on July 13, shortly after their acquittal in a different case.
Bushra Bibi was granted bail from the IHC last month, which led to her release from prison. On the other hand, Khan has remained in prison since August 5 last year due to different charges related to the Toshakhana case. In this particular case, the FIA accused the couple of illegally keeping a luxury Bulgari jewelry set presented by some foreign head of state and maintained that it had caused colossal losses to the national exchequer.
The indictment of the couple was scheduled on October 2, but it was delayed till October 5 as the defense sought more time. She was released from Adiala Jail on October 24 when the IHC approved her bail plea.
The NAB has stated that the couple had received a total of 108 gifts from different heads of state during their tenure and kept 58 of these gifts in their possession at an undervalued amount exceeding Rs 142 million. The case was shifted to an FIA special court after the Supreme Court had approved amendments to NAB laws in September.
At the hearing, FIA Prosecutor Umair Majeed Malik told the court that the media had already announced the granting of bail regardless of the court’s decision. Justice Aurangzeb urged him to talk about the case and not the media reports.
When the defense argued about the jewelry set, the prosecutor debated that the undervaluation of state gifts caused damage to the state, to which Justice Aurangzeb asked how the retained gifts benefited Imran Khan. Ownership and benefit thus became a point of contention.
After the hearing, Barrister Salman Safdar representing Khan sounded optimistic about the outcome, going on to say that if the current case went well, Khan could be released.
However, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar quickly doused cold water on this optimism, asserting that Khan would not be let off because he had to meet the bail requirements in eight other cases, including those regarding the May 9 protests.
Reactions to the bail decision have been mixed. PTI members celebrated the ruling, with former president Arif Alvi viewing it as an opportunity for peace, while the ruling PML-N criticized the decision, suggesting the courts still favor Khan.
Separately, the Lahore High Court rejected Khan’s request for pre-arrest bail in other cases. During the hearing, the court noted that Imran’s legal team sought clarity on the charges against him, while various government departments provided reports indicating that numerous cases had been registered against him across different jurisdictions. The LHC’s decision underscores the ongoing legal challenges facing the former Prime Minister as he navigates a complex judicial landscape.
