The ex-prime minister is granted bail in the Cypher case, but there is no clarity on his release as the country prepares for elections on February 8.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was granted bail in a case in which he was accused of leaking state secrets, but remains in prison on other charges general election due in February.

The Supreme Court on Friday granted Khan bail in the case, but it was not clear how he could have been released while serving a three-year sentence for corruption and facing other charges.

Khan – jailed since August – claims the powerful military is working with dynastic parties that have long dominated Pakistan to crush his political party and prevent him from running for office.

The 71-year-old has faced a barrage of legal cases and been jailed twice since his ouster in April 2022 following a dispute with senior leadership.

“The case has completely failed and Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi have finally been released on bail,” lawyer Salman Safdar told reporters outside the court, referring to Khan’s former foreign minister who is being held in the same case.

Prosecutors accuse the two leaders of mishandling a diplomatic cable sent by Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, known as a “cypher.”

Both have repeatedly denied the accusation on the grounds that it was a cable Evidence of a conspiracy He called on the Pakistani military and the US government to overthrow his government in 2022 after visiting Moscow shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Washington and the Pakistani military have rejected the allegations.

A private trial in the cipher case was held in prison until a legal challenge forced the court to restart open procedurewith observers and media present.

On Friday, the Supreme Court said in its brief order that “there is no reasonable ground to believe” that Khan had committed an offense under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a possible sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment or the death penalty entails.

“There are sufficient grounds for further investigation into her guilt in the said offense which must be finally decided by the competent court,” the top court said.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said he remained imprisoned on numerous different corruption cases and that there was little chance of leaving prison to take part in elections due on February 8.

“The prospect of him receiving relief in the near future seems very slim,” party lawyer Khalid Yousaf Chaudry told AFP.

The fate of politicians in Pakistan has historically depended on their relationship with the military establishment, which has ruled the country directly on several occasions.

Pakistan is scheduled to hold its general elections on February 8, 2024.

Khan was disqualified He was sentenced to five years by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in August following his conviction in a case related to the illegal buying and selling of foreign gifts he received as prime minister.

Khan approached the Islamabad High Court to overturn his disqualification. However, on Thursday, the Supreme Court rejected his request, barring him from taking part in the upcoming election.

The former cricket star and politician’s legal team is now expected to appeal to the Supreme Court to allow Khan to take part in the election.