Policemen escort Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan (center) as he arrives at the high court in Islamabad on May 12, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

ISLAMABAD - A Pakistani court on Monday quashed a sedition case against former prime minister Imran Khan on Monday, his lawyer and a court order said, providing some relief for the cricket hero turned politician who was jailed on corruption charges earlier this month.

Khan, 70, had been charged in March with the sedition case registered in southwestern city of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, on a complaint that alleged that one of his speeches amounted to sedition.

Following an appeal by former prime minister Imran Khan, the Balochistan High Court said prosecutors had failed to obtain the required consent from the federal or provincial government to lodge the charges of sedition

Following an appeal by Khan, the Balochistan High Court said prosecutors had failed to obtain the required consent from the federal or provincial government to lodge the charges of sedition.

The charges are "without lawful authority and are of no legal effect," the court ruled, directing authorities to quash the case.

"God be praised," Khan's lawyer Naeem Panjutha said in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, celebrating the dismissal of the case.

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Later on Monday, a high court in Islamabad is expected to rule on Khan's appeal to suspend his conviction and three-year jail sentence for corruption.

The political turmoil has caught Pakistan while the country has been struggling through one of its worst economic crises. A general election was expected in November, though it is likely to be delayed until at least early next year.

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Khan cannot contest and has been barred from holding political office for five years.