IHC to announce verdict on Imran Khan’s plea against sentence in Thoshakhana case

Islamabad:  The Islamabad High Court (IHC) reserved its judgment on the plea moved by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan seeking suspension of the sentence issued by the trial court's Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Humayun Dilawar in the Toshakhana case.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri conducted the hearing.  The court would announce its verdict by tomorrow at 11:00 am.

Amjad Parvez, the lawyer from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), who was unable to attend the previous hearing on Friday due to illness, presented his arguments in the case. The court ordered the ECP counsel to present arguments on this day. It had also instructed the electoral authority to arrange for alternatives due to the unavailability of the lawyer.

In the previous hearing, PTI lawyer Latif Khosa had concluded his arguments.

In the recent past, a trial court sentenced Imran Khan to three years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 100,000.

Imran Khan contested this decision and approached the IHC to secure his release and suspend the conviction. Simultaneously, the ECP filed a private complaint against Khan in the same case.

Toshakhana, signifying "treasure house" in Persian, operates under a set of regulations allowing government officials to retain low-value gifts. For extravagant items, they are required to pay a significantly reduced fee to the government.

The Toshakhana has come under scrutiny following allegations that Khan capitalized on gifts received during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. It is claimed that he acquired these gifts at nominal rates and subsequently sold them in the market at considerable profits.

The former cricketer, now a politician at the age of 70, was charged with exploiting his position as premier to acquire and trade gifts of substantial value that were obtained during foreign visits, collectively worth over Rs 140 million ($635,000).

Among the items were watches presented by a royal family, with allegations that Khan's associates sold some of them in Dubai. The collection included seven wristwatches, six of which were Rolex timepieces, the most valuable being a "Master Graff limited edition" valued at 85 million Pakistani rupees ($385,000).