Pakistan’s top court accepts Imran Khan’s plea for bail

Pakistan’s Supreme Court accepted on Wednesday a bail application from detained former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his lawyer said, a day after another court declared illegal his trial on charges of leaking state secrets.
The former cricket star is fighting various legal battles in the hope of securing release from jail and leading his party in a campaign for a Feb. 8 general election, which his arch rival, another former prime minister, is hoping to win.
The 71-year-old was jailed on Aug. 5 for three years jail for unlawfully selling state gifts during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. His lawyer said the Supreme Court had accepted the bid for bail.
“A decision will come in the next hearing after arguments from both sides,” lawyer Naeem Panjutha said in a post of the social media platform X.
No date had been set for the hearing, he said, adding that the Supreme Court would seek input from the government on the application.