As the PTI chief has been arrested on the heels of a court decision to hand down three-year jail term and disqualification in the Toshakhana case, many wonder what afterall is the case which has generated so much hype.
For starters, the lawsuit was brought forward by parliamentarians from the ruling party and supported by an ECP criminal complaint.
According to the lawsuit, the PTI chief “deliberately concealed” information about gifts he kept from the Toshaskhana (state repository) during his tenure as prime minister. The gifts include costly watches and mobile phone sets. The ex-premier (just convicted) is also alleged to have cashed in on the gifts through their sale.
The Toshaskhana is a storage facility or state repository for gifts given to government officials and high-profile figures by foreign dignitaries. Gifts, presents and other similar items received by those to whom these rules apply must be reported to the Cabinet Division according to the Toshakhana regulations.
The PTI chief has been embroiled in litigation for retaining the gifts and not disclosing these in declarations. He is facing the prospect of disqualification by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Earlier, the ECP came to the conclusion that the former premier had in fact made “false statements and incorrect declarations” about the presents on Oct 21, 2022.
The PTI chief was declared ineligible according to Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution, according to the watchdog’s ruling. The ECP then submitted a copy of the complaint to the Islamabad sessions court, asking for criminal charges to be brought against him for allegedly lying to authorities about the gifts he received from foreign dignitaries while serving as prime minister.
He was charged for the crime on May 10. However, on July 4, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) halted the proceedings and ordered Additional District and Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar to review the case in seven days while taking into consideration the eight legal issues he posed to determine if the Toshakhana reference could still be maintained.
Finally, on July 9, ADSJ Dilawar reviewed the halted proceedings and called the witnesses for testimony while declaring that the reference was maintainable.
Last month, a sessions court had ruled that the ECP referral against the PTI leader may still be maintained. The judgement was then contested at the IHC.
Judge Dilawar had earlier this week determined that Imran’s defence team had not demonstrated the significance of his witnesses.
