Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan's graft conviction suspended

The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday suspended former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan's recent conviction on corruption charges, his lawyer Naeem Panjutha said, though it was unclear whether this would lead to his release from jail.

Khan was imprisoned on Aug 5 after being sentenced to three years jail for unlawfully selling state gifts during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. As a result of the conviction, and with a national election expected in coming months, Pakistan's Election Commission also barred Khan from contesting elections for five years.

Khan had filed an appeal against the conviction.

"Our application has been accepted, and the sentence has been suspended," Panjutha said on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The uncertainty over whether Khan would be automatically released as a result of the High Court's decision is due to other court orders allowing for his arrest in other cases. It is not immediately clear how the ban on his contesting elections will be affected.