ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani court granted bail Wednesday to former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a graft case, his lawyer said. But with a slew of other charges pending against him, the opposition leader is staying behind bars.
Still, the order by a superior court in the capital, Islamabad, was a boost for Khan in the case in which he is accused, along with his wife, Bushra Bibi, of keeping and selling state gifts in violation of government rules when he was in power.
Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022, has denied the charge. The hearings in the trial on the graft charges started in July and are still ongoing.
Khan has so far been embroiled in over 150 cases and has been sentenced in several, including to three years, 10 years, 14 years and seven years to be served concurrently under Pakistani law.
His convictions were later overturned in appeals but he cannot be freed due to other, pending cases against him. Because the law is unclear in a situation with multiple cases, Khan has remained in the same prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi where he has been incarcerated since his first conviction.
He has maintained his innocence and has argued that the cases are an attempt to sideline him politically by keeping him out of the public area.
His lawyer, Salman Safdar said he still remained confident Khan would be freed but experts say there are at least eight cases standing in the way of Khan's release on bail.
Later Wednesday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that Khan’s release on bail was currently not possible because of the pending cases.
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, has also been demanding his release. Khan’s supporters have called for a rally in Islamabad on Sunday to demand his release — despite a government ban on the gathering.
Pakistan’s laws allow government officials and politicians to keep gifts given to them by foreign dignitaries, but they must correctly declare the market value of those gifts and declare any money they earned after selling them.
Last month, Bibi was freed on bail in the same case but will have to appear in court for the hearings alongside her husband.
FILE - Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, right, and Bushra Bibi, his wife, speak to the media before signing documents to submit surety bond over his bails in different cases, at an office of Lahore High Court in Lahore, Pakistan, on July 17, 2023. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary, File)
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis said he will canonize Carlo Acutis next April, setting the eagerly awaited date for the late teenager to become the Catholic Church’s first millennial and digital-era saint.
Francis made the announcement at the end of his weekly general audience on Wednesday, saying he would proclaim the church's youngest contemporary saint during the Jubilee of Adolescents at the Vatican on April 25-27.
Officials later confirmed the canonization Mass would occur April 27 at the Vatican.
Acutis, who was born to Italian parents in London, was a web designer who died of leukemia in Italy in 2006 at the age of 15. Francis beatified him in 2020 in Assisi, where his tomb draws a steady stream of pilgrims.
Touted as the “patron saint of the internet,” Acutis used his natural tech talent to create a website to catalog miracles and took care of websites for some local Catholic organizations.
Francis announced in May that he had approved a second miracle attributed to Acutis’ intercession, paving the way for Wednesday’s announcement.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Pope Francis greets faithful during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, Nov.20, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Italian Carabinieri, paramilitary policemen leave after attending Pope Francis' weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, Nov.20, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Italian Carabinieri, paramilitary policemen leave after attending Pope Francis' weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, Nov.20, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis greets First Ladie of Ukraine Olena Zelenska during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, Nov.20, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis waves as he leaves after his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, Nov.20, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis greets a group of children during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, Nov.20, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis greets a group of children during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, Nov.20, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis waves as he leaves after his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, Nov.20, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis waves as he leaves after his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, Nov.20, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
