Islamabad: A day after another court suspended his prison term for graft, a Pakistani court increased the former prime minister Imran Khan's detention in jail for an additional 14 days to allow for an investigation into the allegations that he leaked state secrets.
Khan started his three-year prison sentence in Attock jail on August 5 after being found guilty of illegally selling state goods, where the special court held its proceedings. Khan was granted bail by AHC when that sentence was suspended, but he was unable to leave because he was still being held without bond in the case involving government secrets.
Speaking to journalists outside the jail after the judge extended Khan’s remand until September 13, Khan’s lawyer Naeem Panjutha said an application for bail had been submitted and would be heard soon. “We have also filed a plea for an open court trial,” he said, anticipating that the prosecution could seek a closed door trial, without media or public present.
Multiple cases have been lodged against the 70-year old former national cricket captain since he lost the premiership in a parliamentary confidence vote last year. According to a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) case report viewed by the media, Khan has been prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act for disclosing information from a private cable received by Pakistan's ambassador to the United States and exploiting it for political purposes. He could spend up to 10 years in prison if proven guilty.