A COURT in Pakistan today suspended the corruption conviction and three-year prison term of former prime minister Imran Khan.

The legal victory for the former cricket star turned politician still means Mr Khan is likely to face a retrial in due course, but the ruling will enable him to contest the forthcoming parliamentary elections. 

The Islamabad High Court also granted bail for Mr Khan, but it was not immediately clear if he will be released as he also faces a multitude of other charges brought since he was ousted by a no-confidence vote in the parliament in April 2022.

Mr Khan’s lawyers said he had been granted bail by the court, but they feared he might be rearrested for any one of the more than 200 cases levelled against him. 

Gohar Khan, one of Mr Khan’s lawyers, said: “We have filed a separate application requesting the court pass an order barring the authorities from arresting him in any other case.

“If authorities arrest him in any other case, it will be against his legal rights.”

Mr Khan was convicted and sentenced earlier this month by a court that found him guilty of concealing assets after selling state gifts he received while in office. He denies the charges.

Earlier this month, Pakistan’s Election Commission disqualified Mr Khan from running for office for five years. Under Pakistan’s laws, no convicted person is eligible to lead a party, run in elections or hold public office.

Mr Khan insists his removal from office was a conspiracy by his successor Shebaz Sharif, the Pakistan military and the United States — accusations that they all deny.

Mr Sharif stepped down this month after the parliamentary term ended. 

Under the constitution, a vote needs to be held in October or November. Until then, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar is running the day-to-day affairs of the country.