Current:Home > MyPakistan’s Imran Khan remains behind bars as cases pile up. Another court orders he stay in jail-InfoLens
Pakistan’s Imran Khan remains behind bars as cases pile up. Another court orders he stay in jail
View Date:2024-12-23 10:30:39
ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani court on Tuesday ordered that former Prime Minister Imran Khan remain in custody for two more weeks as authorities investigate charges that he had revealed state secrets after his 2022 ouster.
The development is the latest in an unprecedented pileup of legal cases against the country’s top opposition leader and hugely popular former cricket star turned Islamist politician. Since his ouster in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April last year, Khan has campaigned against Shehbaz Sharif, who succeeded him.
The legal imbroglio underscores the deepening political turmoil in Pakistan since Khan’s ouster and ahead of the next parliamentary elections, due in the last week of January. Sharif stepped down last month at the completion of parliament’s term and an interim government took over to steer Pakistan through the elections.
Khan is facing more than 150 cases, including charges ranging from contempt of court to terrorism and inciting violence, and was given a three-year sentence on corruption charges in early August. Later that month, an Islamabad High Court suspended that sentence in what amounted to a legal victory for Khan.
Still, he remained behind bars as another court — a special tribunal — ordered he be held over allegedly revealing official secrets in an incident late last year when Khan had waved a confidential diplomatic letter at a rally.
Khan described the document as proof that he was threatened and that his ouster was a conspiracy by Washington, Sharif’s government and the Pakistani military. All three have denied Khan’s claims.
The document, dubbed Cipher, has not been made public by either the government or Khan’s lawyers but was apparently diplomatic correspondence between the Pakistani ambassador to Washington and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.
Khan’s lawyer Naeem Panjutha told reporters that a special court hearing the Cipher case has extended custody for the former premier until Oct. 10. The custody was initially to expire on Tuesday.
Khan, 70, was being held at the high-security Attock Prison in the eastern Punjab province since early August. As part of the court order Tuesday, he was moved to Adiyala Prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, just outside of the capital of Islamabad, where better facilities are available.
Khan’s lawyers say they fought a legal battle for two months to get Khan shifted to Adiyala prison.
veryGood! (11)
Related
- Channing Tatum Drops Shirtless Selfie After Zoë Kravitz Breakup
- Politicians urge Taylor Swift to postpone LA concerts in solidarity with striking hotel workers
- Stolen car hits 10 people and other vehicles in Manhattan as driver tries to flee, police say
- Black bear, cub killed after man attacked while opening garage door in Idaho
- Quincy Jones laid to rest at private family funeral in Los Angeles
- Halted Ukraine grain deal, funding shortages rattle UN food aid programs
- Former Lizzo dancers accuse her of sexual harassment and racial discrimination
- What are the odds of winning Mega Millions? You have a better chance of dying in shark attack
- Mike Tyson employs two trainers who 'work like a dream team' as Jake Paul fight nears
- These Top-Rated Amazon Tote Bags Are the Best Backpack Alternatives for School, Work & the Gym
Ranking
- Elon Musk responds after Chloe Fineman alleges he made her 'burst into tears' on 'SNL'
- Documents Reveal New Details about Pennsylvania Governor’s Secret Working Group on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Bed Bath & Beyond returns as online only home furnishings brand
- Defense Dept. confirms North Korea responded to outreach about Travis King
- These Michael Kors’ Designer Handbags Are All Under $150 With an Extra 22% off for Singles’ Day
- Extreme heat costs the U.S. $100 billion a year, researchers say
- Gwyneth Paltrow invites fans to stay at Montecito guesthouse with Airbnb: 'Hope to host you soon'
- Meet the one Oklahoman who has earned the title of Master Sommelier in 54 years
Recommendation
-
Georgia remains part of College Football Playoff bracket projection despite loss
-
Dem Sean Hornbuckle taking over West Virginia House minority leader role
-
BNSF train engineers offered paid sick time and better schedules in new deal
-
Missouri executes man for 2002 abduction, killing of 6-year-old girl lured to abandoned factory
-
Georgia remains part of College Football Playoff bracket projection despite loss
-
Feast on 'Sofreh' — a book that celebrates Persian cooking, past and future
-
North Carolina hit-and-run that injured 6 migrant workers was accidental, police say
-
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Wife Sophie Grégoire Separate After 18 Years of Marriage