Islamabad court acquits Imran Khan in ECP protest case

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and several other leaders were acquitted by a court in the federal capital on Wednesday in a case related to protest against Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision. 

Judicial Magistrate Yasir Mehmood of district and sessions court announced the reserved verdict on the petitions seeking acquittal during the hearing today. 

Other leaders who have been exonerated in the case, which was registered at Aapbara Police Station, are Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Sheikh Rasheed, Asad Qaiser, Shehryar Afridi, Faisal Javed, Raja Khurram Nawaz and Ali Nawaz Awan.

PTI lawyers, Advocate Sardar Masroof and Advocate Ansar Kayani, made the arguments in the case on behalf of the former prime minister and others.

A case was registered against the PTI founder and other politicians for protesting against the ECP's Toshakhana verdict in 2022, which disqualified him from holding office for a limited time.

Khan has been facing a slew of charges ranging from corruption to terrorism since his removal as the premier in 2022.

The PTI founder has been in jail since last August and was convicted in some cases ahead of a nationwide election earlier this year. He is also fighting dozens of other cases.

The only hurdle keeping him behind bars is the iddat or the un-Islamic marriage case, whose proceedings are underway, and the judge expects the case to be wrapped up within this month.