IHC rejects Imran's plea to withdraw appeal against disqualification in Toshakhana case

Former PTI chairman wished to refile the appeal in LHC

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday rejected a plea by former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan to withdraw his appeal against his disqualification in the Toshakhana case.

PTI's lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar informed the courtroom that the former prime minister wanted to withdraw the appeal against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding his disqualification to refile it in the Lahore High Court (LHC).

Chief Justice IHC Aamer Farooq, however, decided to retain Imran’s appeal against the ECP in the federal capital’s court.

The Toshakhana is a state department which retains gifts given by state officials, foreign diplomats and heads of different governments. According to the Constitution of Pakistan, the recipient of the gifts must report them to the cabinet division and pay an appropriate amount if the said recipient wants to keep it personally.

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In August, Imran was arrested and sent to Attock jail hours after a trial court in Islamabad sentenced him to three years in prison while imposing on him a fine of Rs100,000 for making false declarations about his assets to the polls supervisory body, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

“This court finds it more than convincing that the complainant [ECP] has provided confidence-inspiring, well-knitted and corroborated evidence and so the charge against the accused has successfully been proven,” the judge said in his 30-page verdict issued at the conclusion of a rather speedy trial initiated on a criminal complaint of the ECP.

The trial court said while filing Form-B for the financial year 2018-2019, Imran Khan had declared "four goats" as his assets but omitted to disclose the purchase of precious gifts from the state’s gift repository—Toshakhana—as well as their sale to different people.

Every lawmaker is supposed to submit Form B to the ECP on a yearly basis. This form is a statement of a legislator’s assets and liabilities including moveable and immovable properties in and outside Pakistan.

According to the verdict, Imran Khan committed the offense of “corrupt practices” by making and publishing false declarations in respect of assets he acquired by way of gifts from the Toshakhana during the years 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-21.