Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan gets bail in second Toshakhana case

Former PM of Pakistan Imran Khan

A high court in Pakistan on Wednesday granted bail to incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan in the second Toshakhana case.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, after concluding the hearing, accepted Khan's bail plea subject to furnishing two bonds of PKR 1 million each.

Khan, 72, has been in jail since his arrest on August 5, 2023 and it was not immediately clear if he would be released now.

Earlier on Thursday, a court in Pakistan had rejected Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi's acquittal requests in the Toshakhana II case.

Also known as Toshakhana 2.0, the case was based on the allegations that Khan and his wife caused loss to the national exchequer by keeping state gifts at discounted prices in violation of rules.

The judge also ordered the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to appear before the trial court after bail, warning that the bail could be revoked if he failed to cooperate with the court.

Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were arrested in the case on July 13, hours after their acquittal in the Iddat case the same day. Bibi was given bail by the IHC on October 24 and she was released from jail.

Khan has been implicated in dozens of cases since his government was dismissed through a no-confidence motion in 2022.