Toshakhana case: Court to announce verdict on ECP plea against Imran on Dec 15

A district and sessions court in Islamabad reserved on Monday its verdict on a plea filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case.

The case is related to the incumbent government accusing Imran of corruption and selling gifts that are presented by other nations to the head of state and kept in the Toshakhana.

The coalition government claimed Imran sold gifts including diamond jewellery, bracelets and watches, worth Rs140 million from Toshakhana during his premiership.

On October 22, the ECP disqualified Imran from his parliamentary membership for filing “false” and “incorrect declaration” in his statement of assets and liabilities for the year 2020-21 filed with the electoral entity.

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During the hearing on Monday, the court heard arguments from ECP's lawyer who said that Imran had failed to state the amount for which he sold one of the watches.

The lawyer said if any Toshakhana items were transferred then it was mandatory to mention them in the tax income statements.

The court reserved its verdict and will announce it on December 15.

Last week, the ECP sent a notice for Imran's removal as the chairman of PTI and summoned him on December 13.

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PTI’s General Secretary Asad Umar also confirmed receiving ECP’s notice, saying he would write to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and challenge the legitimacy of the notice, adding that the ECP had no authority to remove Imran as party chairman.

Last month, Imran said the trail of sale of gifts from Toshakhana is available in government records.

He also said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Asif Ali Zardari “took out four cars from Toshakhana during their tenures and cases against them are still pending.”

Around the same time he threatened to take legal action against Geo News, its anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada, and Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor “for slandering him through a baseless, cooked story.”

Zahoor had claimed during Khanzada's show that he had bought Toshakana gifts received by Imran when he was prime minister, including a watch he was gifted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.