ISLAMABAD: A high court in Pakistan on Tuesday deferred the hearing of former prime minister Imran Khan’s appeal seeking suspension of his conviction in a case involving the illegal sale of state gifts which he received during his tenure in the top political office of the country until Thursday.

The development took place after a trial court in the federal capital declared Khan guilty of “corrupt practices” in the case – commonly known as the Toshakhana reference – before handing him three-year prison sentence and a fine of Rs100,000.

A division bench of the Islamabad High Court, including Chief Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, heard the petition where Khan’s legal team argued for the suspension of his arrest in the case.

“We are not seeking mercy but arguing for our legal right,” Latif Khosa, an advocate representing Khan, told the court. “You should decide the matter today.”

Amjad Pervaiz, the Election Commission of Pakistan’s counsel in the case, sought two weeks to prepare the case, saying he had only been engaged by the commission to represent it today.

“I have not received the certified record of the case so far,” the ECP lawyer informed the court.

Agreeing with his demand, the chief justice decided to give the commission’s advocate some time, but Khosa strongly opposed it.

“If you want to reject Imran Khan’s bail, do it, but this is not the way,” he said. “Decide on our petition today.”

Following insistence of the former prime minister’s lawyer to urgently decide the matter, the chief justice ordered to defer the petition until Thursday.

Khan’s legal team wants to take the matter to the Supreme Court of Pakistan if the high court rejects the bail petition to secure his release.

Since his conviction, Khan has been in the high-security Attock Jail while his lawyers have moved the Islamabad High Court for the suspension of his sentence and release on bail.

The ex-premier’s lawyers Sher Afzal Marwat and Babar Awan also mentioned lack of access to their client, saying the jail administration had been preventing Khan legal team to hold a meeting with him.

Pakistan’s election commission disqualified Khan from holding public office last October for not declaring the proceeds earned from the sale of gifts in state possession that were received during his visits abroad and were worth more than Rs140 million ($635,000).

Later, it also filed a case in the court for criminal proceedings against the ex-PM.

The Islamabad district court ruled that Khan provided an “incorrect declaration” in his statement of assets and liabilities submitted to the ECP for the year 2020-2021.

“He has been found guilty of corrupt practices by hiding the benefits he accrued from the national exchequer willfully and intentionally,” the judgment read. “He cheated while providing information of gifts he obtained from Toshakhana which later proved to be false and inaccurate.”

“His [Khan’s] dishonesty has been established beyond doubt,” the court order added.