Supreme Court says will wait for IHC order on PTI chief’s Toshakhana appeal

The Supreme Court (SC) said on Wednesday that it will wait for the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) order on former prime minister Imran Khan’s appeal against his conviction and sentence in the Toshakhana case.

A three-member SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, took up the petition filed by Imran challenging the IHC’s order of remanding the Toshakhana case to Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Humayun Dilawar, who convicted the former prime minister.

CJP Bandial forms bench to hear PTI chief’s appeal against Toshakhana case proceedings

During the hearing today, the bench heard arguments by PTI lawyer Latif Khosa and Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) counsel Amjad Pervaiz.

On August 5, Imran was arrested from his Lahore residence shortly after a district and sessions court in the federal capital found him guilty in the Toshakhana case and sentenced him to three years in prison. He is currently being kept in Attock Jail.

Background

Last year in October, the ECP had disqualified khan 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.

Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.

Lawmakers from the ruling coalition had filed a reference last year against Imran alleging that he had not shared details of the gifts he retained from the Toshakhana and proceeds from their reported sales.

On May 10, a local court indicted the former PM in the Toshakhana case. Earlier this month, he was arrested. At the time, Humayun Dilawar had ruled that charges against Imran in the case were proven, and the former PM “deliberately submitted fake details to the Election Commission of Pakistan and is found guilty of corrupt practices”.

Later, the SC rejected Imran’s appeal against the Toshakhana case trial proceedings.

It had ruled earlier this month that the trial court could not reserve its verdict in the Toshakhana case until the IHC issued its ruling.

The top court dismissed Imran’s plea against trial proceedings after he withdrew the petition.