Pakistan's jailed ex-premier granted bail ahead of his 1st public court appearance since last August

By Alperen Aktas and Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Pakistan’s incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan was granted bail in the "£190 million ($236 million) reference" or Al Qadir Trust case on Wednesday, his lawyer Naeem Panjutha said.

The bail was granted a day before Khan was scheduled to appear before the Supreme Court of Pakistan via video link from Adiala jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi in a case involving the dilution of the powers of the country's anti-graft watchdog, the National Accountability Bureau.

The Islamabad High Court granted bail in the NAB-filed Al Qadir Trust case, in which Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were indicted in February.

The NAB claimed that the duo received billions of Pakistani rupees and a large plot of land to build an Islamic educational institution in exchange for releasing £190 million to a property tycoon in 2020.

Khan, 71, would not be released from Adiala jail, where he is serving separate jail terms in two cases, including their marriage in violation of Islamic law and exposing state secrets.

He has been in jail since last August and faces about 200 cases filed against him across the country since his removal from office in April 2022.

So far, Khan's trials have all taken place inside the jail. Khan's first court appearance since his arrest would be on Thursday.

The former cricket star was convicted in four cases, but courts later suspended sentences in at least two of them, including the illegal sale of state gifts.

His wife Bibi is also serving a jail sentence for violating Islamic marriage law.

Khan and his Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have stated that these cases are politically motivated.

Khan's sister Aleema Khan said on Wednesday that their family is "extremely concerned and worried about the developments of the past few days" due to Khan's "sudden change in security guards."

She said authorities had also cancelled family meeting on Tuesday.

“Quite simply, we are very concerned about his safety and well-being and can never rule out the threat to his life,” she stated on X, adding, “There have already been several assassination attempts on him in the past few years.”