Pakistani court rejects imprisoned Imran Khan’s request to stay conviction

By Asif Shahzad

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – A Pakistani Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s request to suspend his conviction on corruption charges, his lawyer said, suggesting he was unlikely to be released on bail in the near future.

Khan, 70, has been at the centre of political turmoil since he was ousted as prime minister in a no-confidence vote last year, raising concerns about the stability of Pakistan as it struggles with an economic crisis.

He has been banned from holding public office for five years after beginning a three-year prison sentence on Saturday. He is accused of illegally selling state gifts acquired by himself and his family during his term in office from 2018 to 2022.

The court asked the relevant authorities to grant Khan’s request to be transferred to a Class A prison cell in Rawalpindi as it would provide better facilities to which he is entitled as a former prime minister, his lawyer Naeem Panjutha said outside the court building.

The case has been adjourned indefinitely, Panjutha said, adding: “Our application for a stay of sentencing has not been granted.”

The court will issue a written order later today.

Khan, who denies any wrongdoing, was arrested from his home in Lahore and is currently in a prison near Islamabad.

(Reporting by Asif Shahzad, editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Nick Macfie and Bernadette Baum)