The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, Imran Khan, has been transported to the Attock district jail following his arrest in the Toshakhana case. The PTI leader was relocated to the detention centre under rigorous security protocols.
Before Khan’s transfer, the paths leading to the Attock jail were effectively closed. Press representatives were expressly forbidden from approaching the route or the prison. Additionally, an elite police force has taken up positions outside the Attock jail to ensure heightened security.
The Unfolding of the Toshakhana Case
Earlier today, the PTI chairman Imran Khan was detained from his residence in Lahore’s Zaman Park. The arrest was prompted by a guilty verdict for his involvement in “corrupt practices” related to the Toshakhana case, resulting in a three-year prison sentence.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the Vice-Chairman of PTI, confirmed Khan’s arrest. The Punjab Chapter of PTI subsequently verified this information via a tweet that stated, “Imran Khan is being moved to Kot Lakhpat Jail.”
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 100,000 on the PTI chief and declared him ineligible to hold public office for the next five years.
The Toshakhana controversy became a significant point of contention in national politics following the Election Commission of Pakistan’s disqualification of the PTI chief for providing “false statements and incorrect declaration”. The reference filed by the ruling coalition’s lawmakers last year alleged that Khan did not disclose the gifts he kept from the Toshakhana during his term as prime minister.
The judgment emphasized that the former premier was guilty of corrupt practices as per sections 167 and 173 of the constitution. It also ordered initiating criminal proceedings against Khan for filing a false statement.
Despite rejecting his petition to render the Toshakhana case inadmissible in May, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) reversed this decision in July. Following this, the case against Khan was deemed maintainable by an Islamabad district and sessions court. Khan subsequently appealed against the session court’s verdict in the IHC.
Earlier this month, the Islamabad High Court overruled a session court’s verdict, declaring the Toshakhana reference against Khan as maintainable. However, the IHC rejected Khan’s plea to transfer the case to a different court and issued a notice for the next week regarding the appeal to reinstate the right of defence.
