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Pakistan former PM Imran Khan appeals convictions in 3 cases – JURIST

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan appealed his conviction on Friday in three controversial cases. Two of the three appeals were reportedly filed in the Pakistan’s Capital Islamabad’s High Court, while the other was filed in Sessions Court, a criminal court subordinate to the High Courts.Khan’s defense lawyer Latif Khosa talked to the press and informed them about the appeals on Friday. In a video shared by the official Canada X (formerly Twitter) account of Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI), Khosa stated, “Appeals against Imran Khan’s sentence in Cipher and Tosha Khana case have been filed in Islamabad High Court, Appeal against sentence in Nikah case has been filed in Sessions Court.”In August 2023, Khan was convicted and sentenced to 14 years prison in the Toshakhana corruption case, which alleged Khan sold state gifts. Additionally, Khan was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in January in the “cypher” case, in which Khan accused the US of trying to oust him based on a secret diplomatic cable. Subsequently, he shared details, violating secrecy laws, which led to his conviction. Recently, Khan and his wife were sentenced to seven years for violating the law by marrying before the passage of the prescribed three-month “iddah” period after Khan’s wife’s previous divorce. These three convictions have been appealed in the respective courts by Khan’s legal team.Furthermore, Khan is reportedly implicated in more than 150 legal proceedings, facing accusations that spanning instigating violence during the nationwide unrest following his arrest in May 2023 to further charges of corruption.On the other hand, in the recently concluded general elections in Pakistan, PTI-aligned politicians won 92 parliamentary seats in the election—the highest among all parties but short of the required majority of 133 seats. However, as they ran as independents, the outcome was fragmented, and no party secured a majority. Khan could not participate in the elections contest due to being sentenced to prison terms, and his party has decided to sit in the opposition.