TIMELINE - Key dates in legal woes of Pakistan’s ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Thousands of supporters of Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan are protesting in the capital Islamabad to seek his release amid clashes and casualties in the past three days.

Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, called for nationwide protest rallies and asked people to descend on the capital to take back the “looted” mandate in the wake of alleged poll rigging in the Feb. 8 general election, get the political prisoners released, and undo the controversial changes in the South Asian nation’s judiciary.

He is charged with a number of cases that his party says are politically motivated ranging from corruption, terrorism and rioting since being ousted from power in a no-confidence vote in April 2022.

Here is a timeline of events related to Khan's most important legal cases:

April 10, 2022: Imran Khan is voted out of office in a no-confidence vote by the parliament.

Aug. 22, 2022: Khan is charged under anti-terror law, but the charges are later dropped. He was accused of inciting violence.

Oct. 21, 2022: Pakistan’s Election Commission disqualifies Khan from running for a public office for five years, for not revealing all of his property details. Khan challenged the disqualification in a court which is still hearing the case.

May 9, 2023: Paramilitary Rangers raid Islamabad High Court and arrest Khan in a graft case called the “Toshakhana case” -- Illegal buying and selling of state gifts -- that led to countrywide violent protests and attacks on military installations and other public property.

May 10, 2023: Supreme Court orders release of Khan, observing violation of the law by arresting Khan on the premises of the Islamabad High Court without permission.

May 13, 2024: Multiple cases across Pakistan are registered against Khan for his alleged involvement in the May 9 violence. Of them, he has been acquitted in several cases, while others are pending in different courts across the country.

Aug. 5, 2023: Khan is sentenced to three years in jail in the “Toshakhana case”, and arrested from his Lahore residence. Former prime minister calls for protests after court finds him guilty of selling state gifts.

Jan. 30, 2024: A court in Islamabad sentences Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to 10 years in jail in the “cipher case”, a case related to the leaking of state secrets. Khan and Qureshi were acquitted in the case on June 3, 2024.

Jan. 31, 2024: Along with his wife, Khan is sentenced to 14 years in jail in the Toshakhana case. Both were exonerated later in the case for lake of evidences.

Feb. 3, 2024: Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are sentenced to 7 years in jail in a case that accused them of violating Islamic marriage law.

April 1, 2024: Islamabad High Court suspends Khan's 3-year sentence in the Toshakhana case.

July 13, 2024: Khan and his wife are acquitted in the so-called unlawful marriage case.

Nov. 20, 2024: Islamabad High Court grants bail to Khan in the Toshakhana-2 case.

Nov. 20, 2024: Lahore High Court denies pre-arrest bail to Khan in cases related to May 9, 2023 incidents.

Nov. 24, 2024: PTI launches nationwide rallies towards the capital Islamabad to seek release of Khan, PTI political detainees as well as probe into alleged rigging of Feb. 08 elections.

Since his ouster in April 2022, the Pakistani government has filed more than 200 cases against Khan, a former cricket star, according to the PTI. He has been convicted in at least three cases, including the Toshakhana case, the state secrets case, and the unlawful marriage case. Two convictions have been overturned by courts for weak or no evidence, while the third has been suspended by the Islamabad High Court.

The government, earlier this month, informed the Lahore High Court that some 54 cases have been registered against Khan since 2023, mainly related to May violence. At least 20 of the cases have been closed.

The party and its supporters say cases against Khan are “frivolous” and he should be freed.​​​​​​​