PAKISTAN’S former prime minister Imran Khan was told today that he is to remain in a high security prison for at least another two weeks despite being granted bail the previous day.

An anti-terrorism court took the decision to extend the detention of the former cricket star turned politician in a case involving the revealing of an official secret document, a defence lawyer said.

The court announced the decision after a brief closed-door hearing that was held at the high-security Attock prison in the eastern Punjab province, lawyer Intazar Hussain Panjutha said.

The next court hearing has been scheduled to take place on September 2, he said. 

Another of Mr Khan’s lawyers, Salman Safdar, told reporters that he is petitioning a court to seek bail for Mr Khan in the latest case. 

He said he is challenging the imprisonment of the former prime minister as “it is illogical and unconstitutional.”

The latest development was a bitter blow to Mr Khan and his legal team, which expected his release after a court in the capital, Islamabad, suspended the corruption conviction and three-year prison term of the former premier. 

Yesterday’s ruling by the Islamabad High Court, which also granted bail, was seen as a major legal victory for Mr Khan, who has been held in prison since August 5, when he was arrested after his conviction and sentencing by another court.

Mr Khan has received more than 150 cases against him since his ousting after he lost a no-confidence vote in parliament in April 2022.

One of the key cases against him was registered by the Federal Investigation Agency earlier in August on charges of “exposing an official secret document” which Mr Khan had waved at a political rally in Islamabad after his removal. In his televised speeches, Mr Khan repeatedly described the document as proof of a threat to him from the United States.

The document reportedly contained diplomatic correspondence between the Pakistani ambassador to Washington and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.

Before his arrest, Mr Khan publicly said his removal was a conspiracy by the US, his successor Shehbaz Sharif, and the Pakistani military — accusations that they all deny. 

Mr Sharif stepped down on July 28 after the end of the parliamentary term with caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar running the day-to-day affairs until the election.

The election is likely to be delayed until February because of the redrawing of constituencies to bring them into line with the latest census.