PTI cheif's plea againest Toshakhana trial is at  'critical stage': IHC CJ.

By Awais Yousafzai, August 26, 2023

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq observed that the trial court's conviction of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case was "wrong". This comment came during the hearing of Khan's appeal to suspend the Toshakhana verdict. The trial court had sentenced him to three years in prison and a fine of Rs100,000 earlier this month.



Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court Justice Aamer Farooq
Image Source: IHC website

An IHC bench consisting of Chief Justice Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri heard the plea seeking the suspension of Khan's conviction by Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Humayun Dilawar.

During the hearing, the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) legal counsel Amjad Parvez was absent due to ill health. This prompted an adjournment request, with the IHC chief justice emphasizing that the request for suspension of sentence was now at a critical stage.

Chief Justice Farooq further stated that they would not resort to the same actions as the trial court. The hearing was adjourned until Monday.

Imran Khan's counsel Latif Khosa commented on the situation, stating that Imran Khan had already spent twenty days in jail. He urged the court to suspend the sentence today and suggested that if the bench was satisfied with the arguments on Monday, they should send Khan back to jail.

The Toshakhana case involves allegations of Khan purchasing gifts he received as prime minister at low prices and subsequently selling them for significant profits. The case has attracted attention due to the alleged misuse of Khan's premiership from 2018 to 2022 in acquiring and selling these gifts.