ISLAMABAD: A local court on Thursday approved former prime minister Imran Khan’s exemption plea in the Toshakhana case and directed him to appear before it today (Friday).
Additional Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar, while hearing the case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the PTI chief over concealing gifts he received from the Toshakhana, granted a one-day exemption to Khan from personal appearance before it and asked his counsels to ensure the attendance of the PTI chief during the next hearing.
The same court, on July 5, summoned Khan and his counsels, Khawaja Haris and Barrister Gohar Khan, to appear before it.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC), on May 12, issued stay orders against the indictment proceedings against Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case by the same court on May 10.
Khan also filed a petition challenging the maintainability of criminal proceedings against him in the Toshakhana case filed by the ECP.
A single bench of Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, on July 4, announced the verdict which he had reserved on June 23 in ex-PM’s petition challenging the Toshakhana trial proceedings.
In the verdict, the IHC bench asked the sessions court to consider the PTI chairman’s petition as pending and decide it afresh within seven days from the receipt of this judgment, keeping in view the law in question and the Court’s observations.
At the start of the hearing, Khan’s counsel Sher Afzal Marwat requested the court to adjourn the hearing till 11:30am as Khan’s lead counsel Khawaja Haris, and Barrister Gohar Khan have so far not arrived in the court.
Following the request of the PTI chief’s counsel, the court took a break till 11:30 am.
PTI chief’s lawyer Barrister Gohar Khan appeared before the court after the break and filed an application before the court seeking a one-day exemption for his client from personal appearance before the court. He told the court that former premier Khan is due to appear before the Lahore High Court (LHC) in another case today and requested the court to fix the date for the hearing after July 10.
To this, the judge said the IHC has issued directives to decide the case within seven days. Khan’s lawyer told the court that “we were not aware that the hearing of the case has been fixed for today and we came to know through WhatsApp last night.”
The judge said the case will be fixed for hearing either on July 07 or 08 as he has to decide the case on July 10. Barrister Gohar Khan told the court to fix the hearing of the case on July 10. “We are not using delaying tactics,” he said.
ECP’s counsel Amjad Pervez, while objecting to the PTI chief’s counsel’s request said the PTI chairman had already enjoyed a 45-day stay granted by the IHC. “We are standing there where we were seven months ago,” he said, adding that the PTI chairman had not appeared before the court even once in the last seven months.
The court, after hearing arguments, approved Khan’s exemption application and adjourned the hearing till today (Friday). The court also summoned Khan’s lead counsel Khawaja Haris.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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