Pak court orders Imran to appear in public trial

A Pakistani court yesterday ordered authorities to produce former prime minister Imran Khan for trial on November 28 on charges of leaking state secrets, his lawyer said, in what would be his first public appearance since he was jailed in August.

The former cricket star has been embroiled in a tangle of political and legal battles since he was ousted as prime minister in a vote on no-confidence in 2022, which he denounced as unfair.

"The court has ordered that Imran Khan be produced on November 28," Khan's lawyer, Naeem Panjutha, said in a post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. "We now have to see that this order is implemented."

The court cited procedures, without elaborating, in stipulating the November 28 date for Khan's appearance. A spokesperson for the law ministry, which will decide if Khan is to appear, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The 71-year-old was jailed on August 5 for three years for unlawfully selling state gifts during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022.