Pakistan court suspends Pak ex-PM Imran Khan’s conviction in Toshakhana case

As reported by PTI, the announcement of this long-awaited verdict was made by a division bench led by Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri.

IHC had kept its decision pending on Monday regarding Imran Khan’s appeal contesting his conviction in the Toshakhana corruption case.

“Our application has been accepted, and the sentence has been suspended,” Panjutha said on messaging platform X (formerly Twitter).

As reported by Reuters, the ambiguity surrounding whether Khan’s release would occur automatically due to the High Court’s ruling stems from additional court orders that have sanctioned his arrest in different cases. The implications of the prohibition on his participation in elections are presently unclear.

Earlier, a lower court in Islamabad had found Imran Khan, the 70-year-old leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), guilty and handed him a three-year jail sentence on August 5th. The court found him guilty of illegally selling state gifts, popularly known as the Toshakhana corruption case. The court also disqualified him from politics for five years.

Also Read: Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan arrested after being sentenced to 3 years jail in Toshakhana case

The cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, received a conviction due to accusations of illicitly selling state presents that he and his family had obtained while he was in office from 2018 to 2022. 

Furthermore, he was handed a five-year prohibition from engaging in politics, which effectively disqualifies him from participating in any forthcoming elections.

“Judge Humayun Dilawar announced that involvement in corrupt practices has been proven,” reported AFP quoting Pakistan TV.

Since his removal from office in April of the previous year, Imran Khan has found himself entangled in more than 150 legal cases. Conversely, he contends that these cases are driven by political motives. Following his arrest, Imran Khan’s legal representatives conveyed their intention to promptly submit an appeal.

What is the Toshakhana Case?

The case that was filed by the ECP in May alleges Pakistan Prime Minister of ‘deliberately concealing’ details of the gifts he retained from the Toshakhana. It is a repository where presents offered to government officials during their foreign visits are kept. The PM was alleged of concealing the details of gifts that were kept during his tenure.

The Toshakhana rules say that the details of the gifts and presents offered to respective officials shall be reported to the Cabinet Division. Imran Khan is facing a number of legal issues over his retention of gifts. This also led to his disqualification by the ECP.

(With inputs from agencies)

Updated: 29 Aug 2023, 01:54 PM IST