Pakistan SC accepts Imran’s plea for bail

Pakistan's Supreme Court yesterday accepted 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 February 8 general election, which his arch rival, another former prime minister, is hoping to win.

The 71-year-old was jailed on August 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, formerly known as Twitter.

No date had been set for the hearing, he said, adding that the Supreme Court would seek input from the government on the application.

Khan has been at the centre of protracted political turmoil in nuclear-armed Pakistan that has shone a spotlight on the powerful military's influence over civilian politics.

He was forced from office in 2022 after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament, saying at the time the military was trying to sideline him after he fell out with the generals over top security appointments.