IHC suspends Imran, Bushra Bibi’s sentences in Toshakhana case

English , Latest - تازہ ترین , / Monday, April 1st, 2024

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ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended on Monday former premier Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi’s sentences in the Toshakhana case. The decision came as the high court heard the ex-premier and his wife’s appeals against the sentences. At the outset of the hearing, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq asked whether the appeal was scheduled for hearing today. The judge then remarked that the court would not hear the appeal today, asking the parties to argue the suspension of the sentence instead. However, PTI’s counsel Barrister Ali Zafar said he would argue the appeal instead of the suspension. At this, the judge observed that the cypher case conviction appeal was scheduled for tomorrow; it will be wrapped up soon. “We cannot hear the Toshakhana case today, and schedule it for tomorrow,” he stated. Justice Farooq further observed that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is to begin its arguments in the cypher case, and “we don’t know how long they will take”. The judge maintained that the court would schedule the hearing of the Toshakhana case after Eid. Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb inquired from the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) prosecutor regarding his stance on the sentence being suspended. In reply, the prosecutor stated that the verdict had been looked into and it was a case of suspension of sentence. The court commended NAB on the stance taken and expressed its appreciation. The counsel for the PTI founder prayed to the court to not only suspend the sentence but also suspend the verdict in the case. However, Justice Miangul stated that the matter of the verdict itself was under review at the apex court. Later, the IHC suspended the sentence in light of the NAB’s stance, that the decision pertained to suspending the sentence.