- Imran Khan, Chairman of PTI, has been deemed accountable in the Toshakhana case by a local court.
- The court scheduled the hearing for July 12, summoning witnesses on the same day.
- Khan’s challenge to the maintainability of the case was rejected, and he has not appeared in court despite repeated summons.
ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has been deemed accountable in the Toshakhana case by a local court. Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Humayun Dilawar upheld the maintainability of the case and scheduled the hearing for July 12. On the same day, witnesses will be summoned to testify.
Last year, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified the former prime minister under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution for providing false statements and incorrect declarations in the Toshakhana reference. Despite Khan’s challenge to the maintainability of the reference, a trial court in May of this year rejected his petition.
In addition to rejecting the petition, the court also indicted Imran Khan, who vehemently denied all the allegations leveled against him. Subsequently, Khan appealed the trial court’s decision to the Islamabad High Court (IHC), which referred the case back to the trial court for re-examination within seven days.
Despite repeated summons from Judge Dilawar, Khan has failed to appear before the court for the subsequent hearings. During today’s hearing, the lawyer representing the election commission, a party involved in the case, accused Khan of seeking exemptions and employing delaying tactics.
The judge acknowledged the significant relief granted to the PTI chief by the IHC. However, Gohar Khan, the lawyer for Imran Khan, contended that the high court did not provide relief but instead sent the matter back to the trial court for re-examination, a position he disagreed with.
Gohar Khan further argued that there is still sufficient time and urged the court to make a timely decision. The judge rejected the plea to adjourn the hearing until Monday.
Following the hearing, Gohar expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision, calling it a “murder of justice.” He stated that if their arguments were not heard, they would approach higher courts and challenge the verdict delivered after a brief ten-minute hearing.
What is the Toshakhana case?
Toshakhana, meaning “treasure house” in Persian, operates under specific rules. Government officials are allowed to keep gifts of low value, while they must pay a significantly reduced fee to the government for extravagant items.
The Toshakhana case gained attention when allegations emerged that Imran Khan, during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, had acquired gifts at minimal rates and sold them in the open market for substantial profits.
Government officials claimed that Khan’s aides sold watches, including those given by a royal family, in Dubai. The gifts comprised seven wristwatches, six of which were made by Rolex, with the most expensive being a “Master Graff limited edition” valued at 85 million Pakistani rupees ($385,000).
The election commission ruled that Imran Khan stood disqualified under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution.
Published in PakWeb, July 08, 2023.
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