ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking suspension of the sentence awarded in the Toshakhana-2 case and his release on bail on medical and humanitarian grounds.

The petition was filed through Barrister Salman Safdar and Salman Akram Raja, requesting the court to suspend the conviction and grant bail to the jailed PTI founder.

In December last year, a special court sentenced Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years’ imprisonment each in the Toshakhana-2 case, which involves the under-priced purchase and eventual sale of luxury state gifts.

In addition, a separate application has also been moved seeking an early hearing of a plea for suspension of sentence in the Al-Qadir Trust case, also known as the £190 million scam.

The application stated that Imran Khan is suffering from a serious medical condition affecting his right eye.

“…the petitioner is afflicted with a serious ailment of his right eye,” the plea read, adding that he has an exceptionally strong case for suspension of sentence both on merit and medical grounds, which recently surfaced during proceedings before the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

His counsel maintained that a blood clot has severely damaged his right eye, leaving him with only 15% vision.

The petition argued that the medical complication is of such gravity that it cannot be properly treated within jail premises.

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The plea further claimed that Imran Khan’s conviction forms part of an “ongoing campaign of political victimisation.” It alleged that since his removal from office, Imran and his spouse have faced multiple prosecutions across various jurisdictions, reflecting what it described as a targeted pattern of legal action.

The petition also accused investigative agencies — including the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) — of being used as political tools to pursue politically motivated cases.

“Investigative agencies… have been visibly manipulated as a political tool by the petitioner’s political opponents, with their resources repeatedly used to settle political scores,” the application stated.

The Islamabad High Court is expected to take up the petition for hearing in the coming days.