A court in Pakistan suspended the 14 prison sentences of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, related to the sale of state gifts.

This comes after an anti-corruption court in Pakistan, on August 5, 2023, convicted both Imran Khan and his wife of selling state gifts, sentencing them to fourteen years in jail.

Imran Khan's lawyer, Ali Zafar: "The sentence of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the Toshkhana (unlawfully selling state gifts) case has been suspended."

Imran Khan and his wife have been accused of selling gifts received from the leaders of foreign governments, including the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, during Khan's tenure as Prime Minister.

The appellate court will hold a hearing on this case after Eid al-Fitr.

However, the former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife will not be released from jail as they face other charges by Pakistani courts, including an accusation of violating marriage laws for which they have been sentenced to seven years in jail.

The court added that Bushra Bibi married Imran Khan before completing her waiting period ('iddah).

On the other hand, both Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, have been sentenced to ten years in jail in connection with the case of leaking confidential government documents.

"Tomorrow, we will be trying to get a suspension in the Cypher (disclosing state secrets) case also. If that is suspended, as I said earlier, after that there will be no hurdle to Imran Khan's release from prison," Ali Zafar added.

These verdicts by Pakistani courts against Imran Khan were issued one week before the general elections on the 8th of February in the country.

Imran Khan has denied the charges against him, describing them as a clear attempt by Pakistani officials to prevent him from coming to power.