The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has deemed the Toshakhana case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan inadmissible. Chief Justice Amir Farooq pronounced after reserving the verdict on June 23.
Earlier, Khan was indicted in the Toshakhana case by Additional Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar. Disregarding arguments about the case’s admissibility, Dilawar moved ahead with the indictment. As a result, Khan sought relief from the IHC, which agreed to pause the case proceedings until June 8.
After the case’s resumption in June, Justice Aamer reserved his decision on the petition until after Eid ul Adha. The PTI chair’s primary contention revolved around the delayed complaint filing, which his legal representative, Khawaja Haris, argued should have been lodged within four months of submitting the return.
Imran Khan and the Controversial Toshakhana Case
Despite these developments, Khan submitted a petition a day earlier, asking for Justice Aamer’s withdrawal from the case. The former Prime Minister — ousted from power in a no-confidence vote in April of the previous year — proposed transferring the two Toshakhana cases to another bench to ensure a “fair and impartial” trial.
“Toshakhana” refers to a governmental rule allowing officials to retain gifts of nominal value while expensive gifts can be purchased from the government at significantly reduced prices. Khan, the former cricket star turned politician, was accused of manipulating his 2018 to 2022 premiership to purchase and resell these gifts for enormous profits.
The gifts, reportedly worth over Rs140 million ($635,000), included wristwatches presented by a royal family. Government officials have alleged that Khan’s aides sold the gifts in Dubai, the most costly of which was a “Master Graff limited edition” watch valued at 85 million Pakistani rupees ($385,000).
Following these allegations, the election commission disqualified Imran under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution. After the order, the election commission approached the Islamabad sessions court and called for criminal proceedings against him. Khan’s legal representative, Gohar Khan, described the IHC’s decision as a “victory”.
