Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, lodged a petition on Monday asking for the removal of Chief Justice Aamer Farooq from the Toshakhana case proceedings at the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
In his petition, the ex-prime minister, who lost power following a no-confidence vote in April of the previous year, requested that the two Toshakhana cases be transferred to a different bench. The petition also cites the district election commission as the respondent.
The IHC is reviewing two of the PTI leader’s appeals against a sessions court’s verdict in the Toshakhana case.
“Toshakhana,” a Persian term signifying “treasure house,” is governed by rules that allow government officials to retain gifts of minimal value while requiring a significantly reduced fee to the government for high-value items.
Scrutiny over the Toshakhana has increased following allegations that Imran Khan purchased gifts he had received at extremely low prices during his premiership and then sold them on the open market for enormous profits.
Allegations over Toshakhana Case
The ex-cricketer and politician, now 70, has been accused of exploiting his prime ministerial tenure from 2018 to 2022 to buy and resell state-owned gifts received during foreign visits worth more than Rs140 million ($635,000).
The gifts allegedly included watches gifted by a royal family. Government officials have previously claimed that Khan’s assistants sold these in Dubai.
The gifts comprised seven wristwatches, six from Rolex, with the priciest one being a “Master Graff limited edition” watch valued at 85 million Pakistani rupees ($385,000).
The election commission’s ruling stated that Imran was disqualified under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution.
Subsequently, the election watchdog approached the Islamabad sessions court seeking criminal proceedings against him. Since then, the PTI chief has been noticeably absent from several court hearings.
Read: PTI Chairman Imran Khan Disregards Anti-Corruption Summons for the Third Time
