Pakistan: Islamabad Court to hear appeals against conviction of Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi on May 21

Islamabad [Pakistan], May 18 : The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has fixed the hearing of appeals against the conviction of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for May 21, Pakistan-based ARY News reported.
According to details, a two-member bench comprising Pakistan's Chief Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb will hear the pleas. Previously, the hearing was adjourned on May 15 due to the cancellation of the cause list.
The FIA Special Prosecutor, Hafiz Hamad Ali Shah, is expected to complete his arguments during the court's next hearing. Following the completion of the prosecution's arguments, Imran Khan will present his defence arguments.
Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan filed pleas in the Islamabad High Court against convictions in the cypher and Toshakhana case, ARY News reported.
On January 30, a special court hearing cipher case handed a 10-year jail term, each, to Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The two leaders were accused of conspiracy to misuse the contents of the cypher to fulfill nefarious purposes.
In its verdict, the court said the prosecution had enough evidence to prove the charges against Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi. On August 15, the first information report (FIR) was registered under the Official Secrets Act on the complaint of the Home Secretary.
In the report, Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi were nominated while names of former principal secretary to then Pakistan PM Azam Khan and former planning minister Asad Umar were also included, according to ARY News report.
According to the FIR, the former Pakistan PM and foreign minister distorted the facts of the diplomatic cypher. The FIR further added, "A conspiracy was launched to misuse the contents of the cipher to fulfill nefarious purposes," ARY News reported.
The FIR further stated that Khan and Qureshi endangered the state interests. According to the report, Imran Khan asked the then principal secretary Azam Khan - the then principal secretary - to "manipulate" cypher's content. It added, "The former premier deliberately kept the copy of diplomatic cipher, which was sent to the PM office."
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday approved former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's bail application in the Pound 190 million corruption case, Pakistan-based Dawn reported.
A two-member bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, had reserved the verdict on Tuesday after the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) prosecution team and Imran Khan's lawyer, Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, concluded their arguments, according to Dawn report.
The court set Imran Khan's bail at Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 1 million. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan will not be released from prison as he is still serving out his sentences in the cypher case and the iddat case. His sentences in two separate Toshakhana cases were suspended by the IHC.