The Toshakhana case against Imran Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was confirmed as valid by a local court on Saturday.
Humayun Dilawar, Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ), Islamabad, delivered the deferred verdict. The subsequent hearing is scheduled for July 12, when the witnesses will be called.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) previously disqualified the ex-prime minister on October 21 last year under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution in the Toshakhana reference, accusing him of making incorrect declarations and false statements.
In May this year, a trial court denied Khan’s petition — the first prime minister to lose office via a no-confidence vote — that contested the validity of the reference. Furthermore, the court indicted the PTI leader, who refuted all charges against him.
Khan’s Absence and Legal Proceedings
Khan challenged the trial court’s decision at the Islamabad High Court (IHC), which remanded the case back to the trial court for reconsideration within seven days. Khan has been absent from all court sessions following the IHC’s orders, despite repeated summons from Judge Dilawar.
During the recent hearing, the election commission’s attorney argued that the PTI leader has been seeking hearing exemptions and employing stalling strategies, noting that his legal counsel has previously made his arguments.
The judge mentioned that the IHC had given substantial respite to the PTI leader. In response, Gohar Khan, the ex-prime minister’s attorney, disagreed, stating that the high court had merely returned the case for further examination by the trial court.
Gohar then proposed that the court make its judgment in due course and requested that the hearing be delayed until Monday. The judge subsequently denied this plea.
Post-hearing, Gohar expressed his discontent with the decision, branding it a “miscarriage of justice”. He intended to take the case to higher courts if their arguments were ignored, criticizing the swift verdict delivered after a “10-minute hearing”.
Details of the Toshakhana Case
The Toshakhana case revolves around accusations that Imran Khan abused his position as prime minister from 2018 to 2022 to purchase and sell expensive state-owned gifts received during foreign visits, valued at over Rs140 million ($635,000). These gifts, which include wristwatches gifted by a royal family and sold off in Dubai, were allegedly bought at reduced rates and resold for substantial profits. The most valuable of these gifts was a “Master Graff limited edition” watch, priced at 85 million Pakistani rupees ($385,000).
The ECP’s order stated that Imran stood disqualified under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution due to these allegations.
