Imran urges IHC CJ to recuse himself from Toshakhana case

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday expressed a lack of confidence in the bench of judges hearing the Toshakhana (gift repository) case, which includes Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, Express News reported.

The PTI chairman has filed the request through his lawyer in the IHC, expressing concerns that the bench may not be able to function in a fair and unbiased manner. He has requested that the chief justice recuse himself from hearing the high-profile case and transfer it to another court.

Read more: Govt makes 21-year record of Toshakhana public

On November 22 last year, 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.

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 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.

Meanwhile, 10 cases filed in Islamabad local court against Imran Khan have been moved to the Judicial Complex. A notification in this regard has also been issued.

Two cases filed in Shahzad Town and Tarnol police stations would be heard tomorrow. Cases filed in Karachi Company, Kohsar, Ramna, Secretariat, Margalla and Khanna police stations would also be heard on Tuesday.

Toshakhana reference

Official documents revealed in April that Imran and his wife had retained 52 free gifts worth millions "without paying a single penny".

The list of Toshakhana gifts received by the ex-PM Imran between August 2018 and December 2021 had remained a secret during his tenure, making the situation scandalous to reports of hiding the information from the tax authorities.

The Toshakhana is a department under the Cabinet Division which maintains the record of the precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, and officials by heads of other governments, states, and foreign dignitaries as a goodwill gesture.

The then-government had adopted the stance that the disclosure of any information related to Toshakhana would jeopardise international ties.

The list of gifts showed that the other valuables were kept by the couple after paying a meagre amount, much less than the assessed value.

From seven luxurious Rolex and other expensive watches to gold and diamond jewellery including multiple necklaces, bracelets, rings, multiple diamond chains, an expensive pen and cufflinks worth millions, dinner sets, perfumes, and Oud fragrance, the couple retained everything that different states of the world were gifting to Pakistan.

The most precious gift was presented by Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman during the very first visit of Imran to the kingdom. However, to the irony, the Rs85 million Graff wristwatch was retained by the former prime minister by paying only Rs20 million.