Riyaz ul Khaliq
16 May 2024•Update: 16 May 2024
ISTANBUL
Pakistan’s incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan virtually joined a court proceeding Thursday from a prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi where he is serving two jail terms.
Khan could not address the court, however, which was hearing a case related to the dilution of the powers of the anti-graft watchdog, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The case was adjourned indefinitely.
It was Khan’s first court appearance since he was arrested last August as the former prime minister faces 200 cases since his removal from office in April 2022.
Khan's trials have so far all taken place inside the jail.
One of his lawyers told reporters that the former prime minister was listening to court proceedings.
The former cricket star is a legal party to the case involving the dilution of the NAB laws.
The Supreme Court did not livestream proceedings in the case on YouTube.
But photographs of Supreme Court screens showing Khan donning sky blue sportswear made their rounds on Pakistani social media where X has been blocked since February.
"Illegally incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan's pictures' appear on social media after 285 days from a court hearing today," his party wrote on Khan's personal X account with the latest pictures.
Khan, 71, is currently serving separate jail terms in two cases, including his marriage which prosecutors contend violates Islamic law, and exposing state secrets.
He was convicted in four cases, but the courts later suspended sentences in at least two, including the illegal sale of state gifts.
His wife, Bibi, is also serving jail time for violating the Islamic marriage law.
Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have said the cases are politically motivated.
