Pakistan’s supreme court grants bail to former prime minister Imran Khan

Khan, who has been in jail since August, pleaded not guilty to charges of leaking state secrets

Pakistan’s supreme court on Friday granted bail to former prime minister Imran Khan and one of his aides in a case related to an alleged leak of state secrets, his lawyer said.

It was not immediately clear if Khan would be released from jail as he has multiple arrest warrants issued against him in several other cases, said Salman Safdar, one of Khan's lawyers.

Khan, a former cricket star, has been in jail since August after his conviction on corruption charges in a separate case.

He has pleaded not guilty to charges of leaking state secrets. The charges are related to a classified cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington last year, which Khan is accused of making public.

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Khan remains disqualified from contesting elections after a court rejected his plea to suspend an earlier conviction on Thursday, his lawyer said.

The decision came a day before the deadline to submit nomination papers for elections for provincial and national assemblies that are scheduled for February 8th.– Reuters