Australian cricketer Pat Cummins has added his voice to growing calls for humane treatment of former Pakistan Prime Minister and cricket legend Imran Khan, urging that court‑ordered medical assessments be allowed to proceed and that family visits continue. 

“I hope Imran Khan is treated with the dignity anyone deserves,” Cummins said, joining other former international captains in expressing concern.

Former Australia captain Greg Chappell has also raised serious concerns about Khan’s health and isolation in prison.

Speaking on The Grade Cricketer podcast, Chappell said Khan, now 73, no longer appeared the strong, robust figure he had met six years ago. “His right eye apparently has developed a disability… he’s struggling. He’s been in isolation for three years,” Chappell noted.

Chappell, who developed a warm friendship with Khan during their playing days, described how isolation and lack of contact with family were affecting Khan’s mental health. 

He said Khan was not allowed to read books and spent most of his time in darkness, warning that such conditions were damaging both his mental and physical well‑being.

Khan has been incarcerated since 2023, serving a 14‑year sentence on corruption charges he has consistently denied. A video clip recently showed him being moved in a wheelchair during a hospital visit, further fueling concerns about his deteriorating health.

Chappell was among 22 former cricketers, including India’s Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar, who wrote to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, calling for humane treatment, independent medical assessment and proper care for Khan.

Imran Khan, who served as Pakistan’s 22nd Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022, remains one of the country’s most celebrated all‑rounders, famously leading Pakistan to its first World Cup victory in 1992. (Newswire)

Adding my support here to GC and the other former international captains. I hope the court ordered medical assessment be allowed to run its course, and that family visits continue. I hope Imran Khan is treated with the dignity anyone deserves https://t.co/L1L512wXao

— Pat Cummins (@patcummins30) August 28, 2026

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The Pakistan Cricket Board has lodged a formal complaint with broadcaster Sky after they aired an interview with legendary Pakistan captain Imran Khan’s sons, Sulaiman and Qasim. 

The interview was conducted by ex-England captain and broadcaster Michael Atherton on behalf of Sky, and the full interview was aired on Day 1 of the 2nd Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s.

According to The Guardian, PCB did not like that the official broadcaster of the Test series aired an interview which was heavily critical of the existing Pakistan government, and they have lodged a formal complaint with the company.

Sky, although they have acknowledged the complaint, did not issue a formal response. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has also been made aware of the PCB’s grievances with the interview, although the ECB too are yet to come up with a response. 

Pakistan threatened to not take the field at Lord’s after lunch on Day 1?

ESPNCricinfo further reported that PCB even threatened that their players won’t take the field post-lunch if the interview is aired. Sky later released an 18-minute clip, but by the time it was released, Pakistan players were on their way to the ground for the second session. 

However, further reports have emerged from various quarters stating PCB did threaten that the players will protest by not taking the field if the interview was aired. 

What did Imran Khan’s sons say to Sky?

In their interview with Atherton on Sky on Thursday, the two sons of the legendary World Cup-winning Pakistan captain shared their deep concerns about their father’s health, which has considerably deteriorated in the past couple of months while being in jail. 

In a section of the interview, Qasim Khan told Atherton, “Right now, it’s crucial for us that he gets proper treatment. When we saw him, he had an eye patch on from the eye situation; he seemed visibly stressed and that is something that is very hard to imagine.

“Because he embodies a very calm and assured kind of presence. So to hear him stressed, anxious or disturbed is very difficult.”

Earlier this year, 14 former international captains wrote a letter to the Pakistan government expressing their concern over Imran Khan’s condition inside jail and prayed for better treatment of their ex-comrade.

Atherton was among the signatories alongside ex-India captains Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar and ex-Australia skippers Greg and Ian Chappell and Alan Border.

Why is Imran Khan in jail?

The 1992 World Cup-winning Pakistan captain has been embroiled in legal battles since his ouster as the country’s Prime Minister in 2022.

Multiple alleged criminal charges were pressed against Khan and he was taken into custody in May 2023. Ever since then, Khan has spent more than three years in jail.

His condition deteriorated in January 2026 and reports emerged that Khan had only 15 per cent of vision in his right eye. Most recently, he underwent a medical check-up at a hospital in Islamabad. (The Cricket News)

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Sri Lanka’s World Cup-winning former captain Arjuna Ranatunga is among a group of former international cricket captains who have renewed an appeal to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over the health and medical treatment of jailed former Pakistan captain and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The former captains have written to Sharif following recent developments which they say have fallen short of a directive issued by Pakistan’s Supreme Court regarding Khan’s medical examination.

In the letter, the former cricketers said the Supreme Court had ordered that Khan be transferred to hospital for examination by a medical board that included his personal physicians and his sister, Dr. Uzma Khan, while also reinstating weekly family visits.

However, they claimed Khan’s hospital stay lasted only a few hours and that he was examined by a state-appointed team before being declared medically fit and returned to Adiala Jail.

The former captains have made three requests: that the Supreme Court-directed medical board be allowed to conduct a full and independent assessment, particularly regarding the reported loss of vision in Khan’s right eye; that weekly family visits be allowed without interruption; and that any treatment recommended following the assessment be provided without delay.

The signatories said they were writing “not as politicians, but as former colleagues and rivals” and stressed that they were not seeking to intervene in Pakistan’s domestic legal processes.

Among the prominent former captains associated with the appeal are Ranatunga, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Clive Lloyd, Alastair Cook, Adam Gilchrist, Nasser Hussain and David Gower.

It is the second such appeal to the Pakistan Prime Minister within six months. An earlier letter in February raised concerns over Khan’s health following reports of an eye condition and allegations of inadequate medical treatment in prison. (Newswire)

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Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been moved back to Adiala Jail from Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, a spokesman for his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said. 

Khan underwent a medical check-up at the hospital and was sent back to prison after doctors deemed it safe for him to remain in custody, according to Pakistani media reports.

“A team of qualified doctors, including an ophthalmologist, a cardiologist, and a physician, conducted a detailed examination of him and declared him medically fit,” Information Minister Attaullah Tarar wrote on X about Khan’s health checks.

“After the completion of this entire process, he was transferred back to Adiala Jail,” he added.

The 73-year-old ex-premier was moved to a hospital around midnight for a medical evaluation following a Supreme Court order directing authorities in Islamabad to provide specialised medical care to him amid health concerns.

Citing sources, Geo News reported that the PTI founder’s commute to and from prison was facilitated under extremely tight security. He has now been shifted to his cell.

During his brief stay at the hospital, dozens of PTI supporters had gathered near the hospital, according to French AFP news agency.

Why Ex-PM Was Taken To Hospital

Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023. He says the cases against him are politically motivated, an accusation the government denies.

According to his lawyers, his health has deteriorated in prison, and he has lost significant vision in his right eye. In its order on Tuesday, the Supreme Court told authorities to transfer Khan to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad within 48 hours and allow him access to a medical panel that includes his personal physician.

The Shebaz Sharif government in Islamabad first announced it would implement the order but later filed a petition in the top court, seeking a review and recall of its order. The government has said medical reports disclosed no condition requiring immediate treatment.

Opposing Khan’s transfer, Pakistan’s Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has argued that a convicted prisoner must be treated inside the jail or at a public hospital according to law. He added that he was requesting Khan’s medical tests be carried out at a government hospital instead of a private facility. 

He was taken to the hospital after PTI threatened to file a contempt of court petition against the government on Friday if he is not admitted to the hospital by Thursday at 11.59 pm.

Later, Pakistan’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the government would fully comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling, claiming the government had not intended to defy or delay implementation of the decision. (NDTV)

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Qasim and Sulaiman Khan, the sons of imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, have made a public appeal, urging US President Donald Trump and “people of influence” around to world to step in and support their father’s release.

Both British citizens, the two have largely stayed out of the spotlight—until now. Speaking out for the first time, they said they had “exhausted” all legal and diplomatic avenues and felt compelled to break their silence.

“We couldn’t stay quiet any longer,” Sulaiman said. “We’ve never spoken before, but seeing what he’s going through, we couldn’t stay quiet,” Qasim added.

In an interview with citizen journalist Mario Nawfal, shared widely on social media, the brothers then spoke candidly about their father’s arrest and conviction. They said their father was being held on “trumped-up charges,” and pointed to what they described as a broader “suppression of democracy” in Pakistan.

Here’s what they had to say.

Imran Khan lodged in ‘death cell’

Qasim and Sulaiman Khan have painted a grim picture of their father’s life behind bars, claiming Imran Khan is being held in complete isolation inside what they described as a “death cell.”

“He doesn’t have access to the outside world, no access to doctors, and has been in prolonged solitary confinement,” said Sulaiman, the elder son. “Court mandates we speak to him once every week, but we speak to him once in two or three months.”

Imran Khan, once hailed as a national hero for leading Pakistan to a cricket World Cup victory, is currently serving a 14-year sentence in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi in a corruption case. Detained since August 2023, the 72-year-old faces over 100 charges, including accusations of corruption and mishandling state secrets — all of which he denies, calling them “politically motivated.”

Their mother and Khan’s former wife, Jemima Goldsmith , had also spoken out last October. She accused the Shehbaz Sharif-led government of cutting off Khan’s access to lawyers and family, even severing electricity to his prison cell.

“He is now completely isolated, in solitary confinement, literally in the dark, with no contact with the outside world,” the film producer, who was married to Khan from 1995 to 2004, posted on X.

Qasim echoed his mother’s account, adding that Khan was kept “in the pitch black” for ten days. He said the family wanted “international pressure” on Pakistan because their father is “currently living in inhumane conditions”.

“They are not giving him [Imran Khan] basic human rights,” Qasim said. “It is basically for human rights of not only our father but also other political prisoners and the restoration of proper democracy in Pakistan.”

Earlier, Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, has also consistently raised concerns about the conditions he is being held in and submitted multiple petitions to the Islamabad High Court on the matter.

‘We seek Trump’s help to free our father’

In the interview, Qasim and Sulaiman have appealed to US President Donald Trump and other towering figures around the globe to help their father walk free.

“We’d love to speak to Trump or try and figure out a way where he would be able to help out in some way,” Qasim said. “Because at the end of the day, all we are trying to do is free our father, bring democracy in Pakistan and just ensure his basic human rights.”

Sulaiman echoed the call, urging “people of influence” around the world to raise their voices for Khan’s release.

“I think that would be huge, just to create a bit more noise because it’s definitely gone a bit quiet recently,” he said. “We would love people to reach out to us if they have some influence or potential to help with this situation.”

When asked about speculation that Khan might strike a deal with the government to secure his release, Qasim dismissed the idea outright.

“I just don’t see him taking a deal like that to save his skin. He’s a very principled person … I don’t think he’ll just take a deal while other people are sitting in cells on his behalf, his supporters,” he said.

Both brothers admitted they deeply miss their father, but what hurts more, they said, is “seeing a nation lose the man who gave everything for it”.

“He always told us: if you stand for truth, you’ll pay a price. We’re seeing that now,” Qasim said. (First Post)

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Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan currently incarcerated, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the second time. This year, members of the Pakistan World Alliance (PWA) – an advocacy group founded last December, announced the nomination of Khan for his work with human rights and democracy in Pakistan.

“We are pleased to announce on behalf of Partiet Sentrum that in alliance with somebody with the right to nominate, have nominated Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, to the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with human rights and democracy in Pakistan,” Partiet Sentrum said on X. The advocacy group PWA belonging to the Norwegian political party Partiet Sentrum announced the nomination of Khan on Monday.

Back in 2019, Khan was nominated for the coveted prize for his supposed efforts to de-escalate tensions with India and a resolution in connection with his endorsement was submitted in Pakistan Parliament. The resolution had said that Khan’s decision of releasing Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, held captive in February 2019 when his plane was shot down inside Pakistani territory during the Balakot airstrikes, de-escalated the hostility between Pakistan and India.

However, Khan said he was not worthy of the Nobel Peace prize and had written on X, “The person worthy of this would be the one who solves the Kashmir dispute according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people and paves the way for peace & human development in the subcontinent.”

The founder and former chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is currently serving multiple jail terms over conviction in multiple cases. Khan has been lodged at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since mid-2023. The PTI has been at loggerheads with the federal government since the general elections in February 2024 and protests have erupted in the country multiple times.

In January this year, Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison in a case related to the misuse of authority and corruption.

Out of the multiple cases in which Khan got entangled, three convictions related to selling state gifts, leaking state secrets and unlawful marriage were overturned or suspended by courts.

Innumerable nominations pile up before the Norwegian Nobel Committee and they select the winner through a lengthy-eight month process. (Indian Express)

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Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was on Friday sentenced to 14 years in prison, and his wife Bushra Bibi to seven years in a case related to the misuse of authority and corruption involving Khan’s Al-Qadir University Project Trust.

Khan was also given a fine of 1 million Pakistani rupees ($3,500), while Bibi was fined half that amount.

An accountability court operating from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023, had reserved its verdict in December last year and deferred the announcement three times. Bibi was arrested from the court premises.

Khan, who did not appear before the court on January 13 when the decision was delayed for a third time, had earlier claimed the delays were an attempt to “pressurise” him.

This marks the fourth major case in which the former prime minister has been convicted.

Three earlier convictions, announced in January last year, were related to selling state gifts, leaking state secrets, and unlawful marriage, all of which were overturned or suspended. Despite this, Khan remains behind bars, with dozens of cases pending against him – a situation he describes as a political witch-hunt. (Al Jazeera)

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US lawmakers, officials from both the Biden and Trump administrations, and Amnesty International, on Tuesday called for the release of former prime minister Imran Khan and an end to the use of “excessive force” against PTI protesters.

A particularly notable statement came from Richard Grenell, former Director of National Intelligence under the Trump administration and a key figure in Trump’s transition team.

Grenell, who has also been selected to lead peace talks with Russia over Ukraine, issued a succinct demand on his official Twitter account: “Release Imran Khan.”

He accompanied the statement with a Bloomberg report on the unfolding situation in Islamabad.

Another member of the first Trump administration, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, expressed concern about the reported shoot-at-sight order, calling it “a catastrophic mistake”.

“This is not the way to enforce law and order. For the sake of Pakistan and its future, the order must be rescinded immediately, and a reconciliation process, with assistance from Pakistan’s friends, must start immediately,” he wrote in a tweet.

As the US media highlighted the events of the last two days, members of the US Congress also intensified their criticism of Pakistan’s political and human rights situation, calling for the release of all political prisoners, including Imran Khan, and condemning the suppression of protests and dissent.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, a Muslim lawmaker from Michigan, described the repression of protesters in Pakistan and the escalation of political violence as “an attempt to suppress democracy and human rights”.

She expressed solidarity with the Pakistani people, saying, “I stand with the brave Pakistanis who are rising up and protesting for change”.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee, co-chair of the Human Rights Caucus, emphasised the importance of fundamental freedoms.

“Freedom of speech and the freedom to peacefully protest are essential to democracy — that holds true in the United States, in Pakistan, and around the globe,” she stated, expressing support for pro-democracy advocates in Pakistan fighting for justice and human rights.

Congressman Ro Khanna also voiced his concern over recent developments.

“Deeply concerned by reports that the regime in Pakistan is cutting internet, blocking roads, and abducting activists this weekend,” he said, underscoring his commitment to freedom of speech and a free internet as the representative for Silicon Valley.

Representative Summer Lee praised the resilience of Pakistani protesters. “I am moved by the bravery demonstrated by the Pakistani people as they protest for electoral integrity and judicial fairness,” she said, condemning any violent suppression of their fundamental rights.

Congressman Brad Sherman highlighted ongoing human rights abuses, including “disappearances, forced conversions”, and abuses of the blasphemy law.

He also condemned sectarian violence in the Kurram district, which has claimed over 80 lives, and reaffirmed the right of Imran Khan’s supporters to peacefully demonstrate.

Several lawmakers referred to this statement while urging Pakistani authorities to uphold democratic principles and respect citizens’ rights.

These remarks underscore the growing bipartisan concern in the US over the political and human rights situation in Pakistan and the treatment of those advocating for change.

Amnesty International has also raised serious concerns about the handling of protests by the Pakistani authorities, particularly the excessive use of force.

“The government must fully protect and ensure the rights of protesters and immediately rescind the ‘shoot-on-sight’ orders that provide undue and excessive powers to the military,” it stated. (Dawn)

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The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention stressed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s detention and prosecution in the first Toshakhana case and Cipher case were “without legal basis” and were politically motivated, reported Dawn.

The UN’s report further stated that his detention in these cases was politically motivated to exclude him from competing in the political arena.

According to the first Toshakhana case, Imran had “deliberately concealed” details of the gifts he retained from the Toshaskhana, a repository where the gifts handed to government officials from foreign officials are kept, during his time as the prime minister and proceeds from their reported sales.

Meanwhile, the second Toshakhana case concerns a reference against Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi for retaining a jewellery set received from the Saudi crown prince against an undervalued assessment, reported Dawn.

Earlier on August 5 last year, a trial court in Islamabad convicted the PTI founder in the first case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and jailed him for three years.

He was then arrested by Punjab police later that same day from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

Later, the ECP disqualified him for five years following his conviction.

However, the Islamabad High Court later suspended his three-year sentence.

Notably, the UN body had adopted its opinion on the PTI founder’s detention in its 99th session from March 18-27, according to the document posted on June 18, as reported by Dawn.

The report listed many legal inconsistencies and irregularities in the various court proceedings of the PTI founder, adding that it was rendering its opinion on whether Imran Khan’s detention was arbitrary.

It said that based on its source’s detailed and unrebutted submissions regarding the ultra vires nature of the prosecution in the first Toshakhana case, as well as the context of the political repression of Imran and his party in which that prosecution occurred, “the working group concludes that his detention had no legal basis and appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for political office. Thus, from the outset, that prosecution was not grounded in law and was reportedly instrumentalised for a political purpose.”

It stressed that how Imran was convicted in the first Toshakhana case (namely, a summary judgment delivered in absentia) and his subsequent arrest by law enforcement personnel who broke into his residence and assaulted him and his staff were concerning and compounded the illegality, reported Dawn.

The working group further said that Imran’s prosecution in the cipher case “lacks a grounding in law, as his actions do not appear to have violated the Official Secrets Act, as was apparently corroborated by the intelligence services, according to the source’s unrebutted submissions”.

Regarding his sentences in the second Toshakhana case and the Iddat case, the UN group stated, “The working group cannot but observe the coincidence in the timing of the four prosecutions, which effectively prevented Mr Khan from contesting the general election originally scheduled for November 2023.”

It further summarised that “noting the convergence of factors that appear to be aimed at removing Mr Khan from contesting the election and restricting his party’s fair participation in the election, and in the absence of any response from the government, the working group finds that, at the very least, Mr Khan’s arrest, detention and prosecution in the first Toshakhana case and the cipher case were without any legal basis and would appear to be politically motivated to exclude his participation in the election.”

The working group noted that in the absence of any rebuttal from the government, “it would appear that the prosecutions brought against Khan are related to his leadership of the PTI and indicate a determination to silence him and his supporters and exclude their political participation,” adding that it was “evident” that the basis of his subsequent arrest and detention was his exercise of freedom of assembly.

Concluding its opinion, the working group said that Imran’s deprivation of liberty was arbitrary and requested the government to take the steps necessary to remedy the PTI founder’s situation without delay and bring it into conformity with the relevant international norms.

“The working group considers that, taking into account all the circumstances of the case, the appropriate remedy would be to release Mr Khan immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law, Dawn reported.

“The working group urges the government to ensure a full and independent investigation of the circumstances surrounding the arbitrary deprivation of liberty of Mr Khan and to take appropriate measures against those responsible for the violation of his rights,” the opinion said.

Reacting to the working group’s opinion, the PTI termed it a “huge” development.

Imran is currently incarcerated in the Iddat case at Adiala Jail. His sentences in the two Toshakhana cases were suspended while he was acquitted by the Islamabad High Court in the cipher case, reported Dawn. (ANI)

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A court in Islamabad has annulled the sentence of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his close aide, former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in a case related to the leaking of state secrets.

Khan and Qureshi were sentenced to 10 years in prison on January 30 this year by a special court set up in a prison in Rawalpindi, just days before the country’s general elections.

The so-called cypher case pertains to a diplomatic cable that Khan claims proves his allegation that his removal from power in April 2022 was a conspiracy. The court established under the Official Secrets Act found Khan guilty of misusing the confidential cable sent by a former Pakistani ambassador to the United States.

Khan has repeatedly denied the charge, saying the document contained evidence that his removal as prime minister was a plot hatched by his political opponents and the country’s powerful military, with help from the US administration. Washington and the Pakistani army reject the accusation.

Khan, a former cricket star, was Pakistan’s premier from August 2018 to April 2022, when he lost a vote of confidence in the parliament. He has been in jail since August last year, facing trial in multiple cases.

However, despite the Islamabad High Court declaring the sentence void, Khan continues to remain behind bars due to his conviction in another case. On February 3, Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to seven years when a court in Rawalpindi declared that their marriage in 2018 violated Islamic law.

It is not yet clear whether Qureshi will be allowed to walk out of jail or not.

Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, a senior leader of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, said the Islamabad court’s decision was proof that the former PM’s legal troubles were the outcome of trumped-up cases to begin with.

“The court has now not only thrown this case aside, but also proven that it was yet another example of all the frivolous charges against former PM Khan and one by one, all such charges will soon come crumbling down,” he told Al Jazeera.

Khan, who is also the leader of the PTI party, filed an appeal against the verdict in the unlawful marriage case, and the decision was supposed to be announced last week.

However, the judge hearing the case excused himself from announcing the verdict after the complainant in the case, Khawar Maneka, who is also the ex-husband of Bushra Bibi, expressed his “distrust” in the judge. The case will now be heard on June 25 by a different judge.

Khan and Bushra Bibi were also declared guilty on January 31 in a case related to the illegal sale of state gifts, but in April their conviction was overturned by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The former PM, who has been facing several cases, has had some favourable judicial verdicts of late. Also on Monday, both Khan and Qureshi were — along with several other PTI leaders — acquitted in two cases related to vandalism during a protest rally organised by the PTI in May 2022.

Last month, the IHC also granted Khan bail in a high-profile land-deal case. Khan was accused of colluding with Malik Riaz, one of the country’s biggest property tycoons, in an alleged quid pro deal that caused the national exchequer a loss of more than $239m.

Khan was ousted from power through a vote of no confidence in April 2022. But tensions between Khan and the country’s traditional political and military establishment exploded after his supporters went on a rampage in May last year, attacking — among other facilities — military installations, following Khan’s arrest. That sparked a crackdown from security forces: Many PTI supporters and leaders were arrested; others went into hiding.

Khan himself was released in less than 48 hours, but was subsequently arrested and convicted in several other cases. He was declared ineligible to contest in the country’s February election because of the convictions. Election authorities also denied the PTI the use of its electoral symbol – the cricket bat.

Still, PTI-backed candidates won 93 seats, emerging as the largest political bloc in parliament. They currently lead the opposition. (Al Jazeera)

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The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has initiated a fresh inquiry into the Toshakhana case, issuing call-up notices to the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and former PM Imran Khand and his wife Bushra Bibi, ARY News reported.

NAB Rawalpindi has sent a letter to the Deputy Superintendent of Adiala Jail, requesting their presence for the investigation.

According to ARY News, an Accountability Court (AC) gave 14 years each imprisonment to the PTI founder and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana case on January 31.

The verdict was announced by AC Judge Muhammad Bashir, disqualifying the PTI founder and his wife from holding any public office for 10 years and imposing a fine of Pakistani currency (PKR) 787 million

Before this, Khan and his foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi were sentenced to 10 years in prison under the Official Secrets Act in connection with the cypher case, as per ARY News.

Meanwhile, on February 4, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were sentenced to seven years in jail each in a case related to their marriage during the latter’s Iddat period, according to Dawn.

However, on April 1, The Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended a 14-year jail sentence of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the Toshakhana case.

Following this, many PTI leaders denied the allegation and stood in support of Imran Khan. Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has rejected former Pakistan PM’s allegations against the senior military leadership in connection with the Toshakhana case, calling them “false, fabricated and baseless”, Dawn reported recently

Earlier in the day, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will topple the PML-N-led federal government whenever party founder Imran Khan instructs to do so, reported ARY News.

On April 27, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Omar Ayub Khan also stated while speaking to the media that he would remain loyal to his party and the PTI founder, Imran Khan, come what may, Dunya News reported.

Meanwhile, various protests erupted across Pakistan for the release of Imran Khan. Recently on April 29, PTI organised the ‘Train March’ in Sukkur, with the party leaders vowing to continue the intensified struggle for the release of party founder Imran Khan and restoration of PTI’s “stolen mandate,” Pakistan-based Dawn reported.

Several thousand PTI workers and supporters boarded the Awam Express from Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Nawabshah and all the railway stations on its route to join the train march. Hundreds of others were present at each station to accord a warm welcome to marchers.

Dozens of men and women participating in a number of caravans and rallies which were held in the morning boarded the train from Landhi station, according to Dawn report. (ANI)

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Pakistan’s Supreme Court approved former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s post-arrest bail applications in the cipher case, Geo TV reported.

The PTI founder was indicted in the cipher case again earlier this month by the special court established under the Official Secrets Act 2023 after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared their jail trial null and void.

What Imran Khan said during the hearing?

During the hearing, Imran Khan claimed that “powerful people” behind the cipher case were being protected.

“I ordered to initiate an inquiry into the matter when I was the prime minister,” he said, adding that his party leaders were being locked inside jails “like goats” while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif was brought back to Pakistan.

What is the cipher case?

Imran Khan has pleaded not guilty to charges of leaking state secrets which are related to a classified cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington last year. The former prime minister was accused of making them public.

Will Imran Khan be released from jail?

It was not immediately clear if Imran Khan would be released from jail as he has multiple arrest warrants issued against him in several other cases.

What are the other cases Imran Khan has been jailed for?

Imran Khan has been in jail since August after his conviction on corruption charges in a separate case. (Hindustan Times)

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Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently imprisoned, has used artificial intelligence to deliver a speech to his supporters. The four-minute address was broadcast during a ‘virtual rally’ attended by more than 4.5 million people across Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.

Pakistani authorities have clamped down on gatherings organized by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party since he was briefly arrested for the first time in May. The former prime minister was sentenced to three years behind bars in August for illegally selling state gifts. The 71-year-old faces a slew of other charges, all of which he claims are politically motivated.

According to PTI representatives, the cricket-star-turned-politician wrote a script for the speech and passed it on to his supporters through lawyers. It was then dubbed with the help of a tool developed by the AI firm ElevenLabs, which can create a ‘voice clone’ of a person based on speech samples.

In his message, Khan accused the Pakistani government of kidnapping and harassing activists from his party.

He also stressed that his “determination for real freedom is very strong,” thanking the PTI social media team for “this historic attempt” to circumvent government restrictions.

Khan was charged by a special court in October with breaching state secrecy laws over an alleged conspiracy to reveal what he characterized as proof of US interference in orchestrating his removal from power last year. (RT)

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Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan will remain in a high-security prison for at least another two weeks despite being granted bail the previous day, as an anti-terrorism court extended his detention Wednesday in a case involving the revealing of an official secret document, a defence lawyer said.

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

The next court hearing will be on Sept. 2, he said.

Khan’s other lawyer, Salman Safdar, told reporters that he is petitioning a court to seek bail for Khan in the latest case. He said he is challenging Khan’s imprisonment and jail trial as “it is illogical and unconstitutional.”

The latest development was a blow to 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. Tuesday’s ruling by the Islamabad High Court, which also granted bail, was a major legal victory for Khan. He has been held in prison since Aug. 5, when he was arrested after his conviction and sentencing by another court.

Khan has been embroiled in more than 150 cases since his ouster through 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 Khan had waved at a political rally in Islamabad after his removal. In his televised speeches, Khan repeatedly described the document as proof of a threat to him from the United States.

The document, dubbed Cipher, has not been made public by the government but apparently contained diplomatic correspondence between the Pakistani ambassador to Washington and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.

Before his arrest, Khan publicly said his removal was a conspiracy by the United States, his successor Shehbaz Sharif, and the Pakistani military — accusations that they all deny. Sharif stepped down July 28 after the parliament’s term ended.

Khan’s continued detention will give an edge to his political rivals ahead of the vote to be held later in the year. Pakistan’s election oversight body said that elections must be delayed for at least three to four months because it needs more time to redraw constituencies to reflect the recently held census. It is widely believed that the vote will be delayed until February.

However, until then, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar is running the day-to-day affairs. (AP)

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A Pakistani trial court sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts, local media channels said on Saturday.

“Judge Humayun Dilawar announced that involvement in corrupt practices has been proven,” Pakistan TV said.

Khan was not in court for the hearing, but the Reuters news agency reported that his lawyer said the former prime minister had been arrested in Lahore.

Legal experts say a conviction in the case could end Khan’s chances of participating in national elections that have to be held before early November. (AL Jazeera)

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Pakistan’s anti-corruption agency arrested former prime minister Imran Khan at Islamabad High Court on Tuesday, threatening fresh turmoil in the country as clashes erupted between Khan supporters and police, killing at least one protester.

Khan’s arrest comes a day after the powerful military rebuked him for repeatedly accusing a senior military officer of trying to engineer his assassination and the former armed forces chief of being behind his removal from power last year.

Dozens of paramilitary troops in riot-control gear surrounded Khan – Pakistan’s most popular leader according to opinion polls – and led him into a black van by his arm.

Authorities in three of Pakistan’s four provinces imposed an emergency order banning all gatherings after Khan’s supporters clashed with police, blocked major roads in a string of cities and stormed military buildings in Lahore and Rawalpindi, according to witnesses and videos shared by his party.

The clashes killed one of the protesters and injured 12 people, including six police officers in the southern city of Quetta, provincial home minister Ziaullah Langove said.

Pakistan’s telecommunications watchdog told Reuters that mobile data services were being suspended on interior ministry orders, while Netblocks, a global internet monitor, said access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube had been restricted.

Khan, 70, a cricket hero-turned-politician, has shown no sign of slowing down since being ousted in April 2022 as prime minister in a parliamentary no-confidence vote – even after being wounded in a November attack on his convoy as he led a protest march to Islamabad calling for snap general elections.

His arrest came at a time when Pakistanis are reeling from the worst economic crisis in decades, with record high inflation and anaemic growth. An International Monetary Fund bailout package has been delayed for months even though foreign exchange reserves are barely enough to cover a month’s imports.

ALLEGED PROPERTY FRAUD

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters that Khan had been arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) after he ignored notices to turn himself in.

He said Khan and his wife were accused of having received when he was still prime minister, land worth up to 7 billion rupees ($24.7 million) from a property developer who had been charged in Britain with money laundering.

Sanaullah added that British authorities had returned 190 million pounds ($240 million) to Pakistan in connection with money laundering, but that Khan had returned the money to the developer instead of keeping it in the national exchequer.

“Khan is accused of commission of the offence of corruption and corrupt practices,” NAB said in a statement.

Khan has denied any wrongdoing.

GEO TV said he would be brought before an anti-corruption court on Wednesday.

The graft case is one of more than 100 registered against Khan since his ouster after four years in power. In most of the cases, Khan faces being barred from holding public office if convicted, with a national election scheduled for November. (Reuters)

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Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been arrested during a court appearance in the capital Islamabad.

Fawad Chaudhry of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party confirmed the arrest in a tweet on Tuesday.

Chaudhry tweeted that the Islamabad High Court complex has been “occupied” by the Pakistani Rangers paramilitary and that lawyers were “being subjected to torture”.

Video footage on local media showed Khan being escorted to a Rangers vehicle.

In a tweet, PTI said the Rangers have “abducted” Khan.

“Pakistan’s brave people must come out and defend their country,” the party posted. (AL Jazeera)

Rangers abducted PTI Chairman Imran Khan, these are the visuals. Pakistan’s brave people must come out and defend their country. pic.twitter.com/hJwG42hsE4

— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 9, 2023

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Pakistani police fired tear gas into the grounds of Imran Khan’s Lahore home on Wednesday following a night of violent clashes between security personnel and the former prime minister’s supporters as attempts by authorities to arrest him stretched into a second day.

A total of 69 people have been injured in the violence in the eastern city so far, including 34 police officers, a Pakistani police official told CNN on the condition of anonymity, adding that people inside Khan’s residence were armed with guns.

The clashes erupted Tuesday after police arrived at the property to arrest Khan for failing to appear in court on corruption charges.

Footage shared by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and local media showed police firing tear gas and water cannons at Khan’s supporters on Tuesday in an effort to disperse them. The former prime minister’s supporters threw stones in return, according to a tweet from Islamabad police.

Protests also broke out in major cities across Pakistan on Tuesday in support of Khan, who released a video on social media asking his followers to “come out” in support of his movement if he is detained.

Khan, who was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote last April, has since led a popular campaign against the current government, accusing it of colluding with the military to remove him from office. He has accused Pakistani authorities of attempting to arrest him to remove him from upcoming by-elections in April and a general election scheduled for October.

“[The government], they’re petrified that if I come into power, I will hold them accountable,” Khan told CNN on Tuesday. “They also know that even if I go to jail, we will swing the elections no matter what they do.”

The former leader says the charges against him are politically motivated and has warned that attempts to arrest him could lead to a dangerous escalation in political violence in the country. He also believes that Pakistan’s ruling coalition might eventually use a “pretext of violence” to delay the upcoming votes.

In a statement to CNN, Pakistan’s information minister denied any political involvement in the case.

“The government has nothing to do with the arrest (of Khan), and the arrest has nothing to do with elections. The police is only complying with the orders of the court,” Marriyum Aurangzeb said.

“Instead of cooperating with law enforcement officials, Imran Khan is breaking the law, defying court orders and using his party workers as human shields to evade arrest and stoke unrest,” she added.

As clashes escalated Tuesday, police cut the electricity supply to Khan’s home and turned street lights off in the wider Zaman Park neighborhood, according to Khan’s spokesperson and other backers.

“We are ready to face all kinds of fascism to protect Imran Khan,” Musarrat Cheema, a former spokesperson for the Punjab government, wrote on Twitter. “The entire nation stands with Chairman Imran Khan.”

Missed court date

Khan faces allegations of illegally purchasing and selling gifts given to him by foreign dignitaries while he was in office, which he has rejected as “biased.”

On Monday, the Islamabad High Court issued an arrest warrant against Khan over the case to have him presented before the court on March 18.

“On the order of the court, the person who ran away from the court will be arrested and arrested and produced there,” tweeted Pakistani Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday.

But Khan’s lawyers have argued he has previously failed to appear in court because he cannot leave his residence in Lahore due to security concerns. He can only make appearances via video link, according to his legal team.

The political upheaval comes at a time when Pakistan’s government waits for a delayed bailout from the International Monetary Fund, which will help with the country’s cost of living crisis and ailing economy.

Khan has only been arrested once in 2007 by then President and military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who died earlier this year.

But he told CNN Tuesday that he was “mentally prepared to spend the night in a cell.”

“I want a proper warrant of arrest and I want to see that, my lawyers want to see the warrant,” Khan said.

“It’s a matter of time. I’m convinced they will come in and arrest me, I’m prepared for it,” he said, adding: “I know what the intention is. They want to get me out of the race. They want to get me out of the match so that they can win the elections.” (CNN)

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