Judge hearing Toshakhana reference transferred

Registrar issued notification on the directions of IHC chief justice

ISLAMABAD:

Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal hearing the Toshakhana criminal reference against PTI Chairman and former premier Imran Khan has been transferred.

According to a notification issued by the registrar on the directions of Islamabad High Court chief justice, eight additional sessions judges of the session east and west were transferred. Additional Judge Iqbal is one of them.

Additional Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar has been posted in place of Judge Iqbal whereas the latter has been relocated to session west from session east.

Last year on November 22, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had sent the Toshakhana reference to the trial court for initiating criminal proceedings against the PTI chief under sections 137, 170 and 167 of the Election Act, 2017.

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The reference was sent to the court a month after a four-member ECP bench unanimously declared that Imran had misled officials about the gifts he had received from foreign dignitaries during his tenure as the prime minister.

On March 30, the trial was adjourned till April 29 in view of Ramazan and Eid holidays. However, on April 4, the election supervisor requested the court to set an earlier date for hearing the case and the court on April 8 decided to hear the ECP's request on April 11.