Pakistan: Apex court dismisses Imran Khan’s plea against the Toshakhana case
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Friday dismissed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s plea against the Toshakhana case in which he was accused of misusing his office to buy and sell gifts in state possession.
The former PM, 70, had received these gifts, worth over USD 6,35,000 (PKR 140 million) during his visits abroad when he was in office from 2018 to 2022, the media reported on Friday.
The apex court rejected his plea against trial proceedings in a corruption case wherein he was accused of concealing details of the gifts he retained from the state repository.
While dismissing the plea, the apex court observed the application seeking the transfer of the case to another court was underway in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), and expressed the hope that the trial and the IHC will make decisions as per the law.
This decision would not affect other pleas filed by Khan.
On Wednesday, the apex court turned down Khan’s request to stay the trial in the Toshakhana case, being heard at an Islamabad sessions court. However, it also granted relief to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief by postponing further proceedings till Friday so that he could approach the court again in case any adverse order was passed by the IHC.
Meanwhile, IHC on Thursday reserved its verdict on a set of petitions filed by Khan against the Toshakhana trial. The IHC will also issue the reserved verdict on Khan’s appeal against the trial court’s order to refuse his right to produce witnesses in the case.
