Islamabad, Dec. 22, (dpa/GNA) – Pakistan’s top court on Friday granted bail to former premier Imran Khan and his close aide ahead of the general elections due in February.  

Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi are facing allegations of leaking classified diplomatic cables. Both the leaders have pleaded not guilty.

“The Supreme Court has accepted bail pleas of both the leaders after the prosecution failed to justify its case,” Salman Safdar, Khan’s lawyer, told reporters after the hearing.

The former cricket star is currently in a prison not far from the capital Islamabad. However, it was unclear whether Khan would actually be released due to other ongoing proceedings against him.

Electoral authorities have already formally started the run-up to general elections scheduled for February.

Former premier Nawaz Sharif, who returned from self-imposed exile in October, is selecting candidates for his party but Khan’s party is in disarray.

Dozens of leaders have already switched sides while many others seem reluctant to stay aligned with Khan.

The 71-year-old former sports star faces a flurry of charges since his removal as premier through a parliamentary vote of no confidence last year.

Khan was arrested in August on corruption charges and a court later ordered his release but another court in the capital said he must be kept in the same prison on charges of leaking a diplomatic cable. 

GNA