An appeals court in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, has suspended former Prime Minister Imran Khan's conviction for corruption and three-year-prison sentence, his lawyers and court officials said on August 29.
Khan was also granted bail, but it was not immediately clear whether he will be released since he faces charges in more than 100 other cases brought against him since being ousted in April last year in a no-confidence vote.
The Islamabad High Court announced its decision in a verbal order, Shoaib Shaheen, a lawyer for Khan said, adding that a written ruling will be issued later.
The ruling marks the second victory for Khan in as many days after a judge on August 28 dismissed a separate sedition case against him.
Khan, who remains hugely popular in Pakistan as the main opposition leader, was incarcerated on August 5 shortly after a court in Islamabad sentenced him to three years in prison for unlawfully selling state gifts during his term from 2018 until his ouster in April 2022.
The case is known as Tosha Khana, after the place where dignitaries are supposed to hand over the gifts received while in office.
Although the August 29 ruling means the graft case against Khan will be retried, the suspension will allow the 70-year-old former international cricket star and the head of the Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) party, to run in upcoming parliamentary elections.
Khan had been barred from politics for five years on August 8 following his sentencing as Pakistan's legislation prevents any person with a criminal conviction from leading a party, running in elections, or holding public office.
“Imran Khan is again entitled to lead his PTI party after today's court order,” Babar Awan, another lawyer for the former premier, told journalists.
Khan has denied all the charges against him as politically motivated and has claimed that his ouster was part of a plot by Pakistan's powerful military, the current prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and the United States. All have denied involvement.
Khan, who initially enjoyed the support of the military, has lately said that Pakistan needs to transition from a state dominated by security institutions into a democratic state focused on looking after the welfare of its 231 million people.
“Today we must realize that if we don’t change, our future will be in danger,” Khan told RFE/RL in a wide-ranging interview in June, adding that his country won't be able to move ahead if it fails to "turn into a real democracy and uphold the rule of law.”
Four military dictators have directly ruled Pakistan for nearly half of its 75-year history. The military has dominated weak civilian governments during democratic periods, which typically ended with military coups.