Pakistan court grants bail to ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan

He won't be set free as he is under arrest for many other cases, minister says

Islamabad:  A Pakistani court granted bail to former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a case where he is accused of hiding income but he won't be freed from jail as he is under arrest in other cases.

Judge Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb of the Islamabad High Court ordered to free the opposition leader from jail and granted bail in the case for selling state gifts and not disclosing the income when he was in power, his lawyer Salman Safdar told reporters in Islamabad on Wednesday. Khan will be released from jail "soon," he said.

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The ex-cricket star, who is languishing in jail for more than a year and is facing more than 100 cases from corruption to misuse of power and inciting violence, won't be set free as he is under arrest for many other cases, information minister Attaullah Tarar said on Geo Television channel.

The decision comes as temporary relief for Khan who has called upon his supporters nationwide to march toward the capital, Islamabad, on November 24 for a protest against the government. This seems to be the biggest protest call by Khan against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's coalition government that came into power after the controversial polls in February.

Leaders from Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party have said they will protest and stage a sit-in in Islamabad until their demands including releasing Khan from jail are met.