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Imran Khan indicted in Toshakhana case

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  • Hearing took place at location where Khan is under custody.
  • ECP had sought criminal proceedings against former PM.
  • Imran Khan’s indictment in the case was pending for long. 

An Islamabad district and sessions court on Wednesday framed charges against former prime minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case — in which the deposed premier is accused of taking gifts in an illegal manner.

Additional Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar indicted the incarcerated chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the case for “deliberately concealing” details of the gifts he retained from the Toshaskhana — a repository where presents handed to government officials from foreign officials are kept — during his tenure as the prime minister.

Khan, however, denied the charges and claimed innocence.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had sought proceedings under the criminal law against the former prime minister in the case.

The indictment in the case was pending for a long period of time as the PTI chief had been avoiding appearing before the court.

Last week, the Islamabad court summoned Khan for May 10 to frame charges against him in the case. In its reference, the electoral watchdog alleges that the former premier had “deliberately concealed” details of the gifts he retained from the Toshaskhana.

It should be noted that Khan was not brought to a regular court in the federal capital and his scheduled hearing took place at the location where he was under custody.

The Islamabad chief commissioner earlier said that Khan, instead of being taken to F-8 Court Complex and Judicial Complex G 11/4, will be presented at New Police Guest House, Police Lines — which has been given the one-time status of the court for this particular hearing, a notification issued by the Government of Pakistan read.

Last year in October, the ECP, in a consensus verdict in Toshakana reference, disqualified the former premier and ruled that he was no more a member of the National Assembly.

Criminal proceedings will be initiated against the PTI chairman for misdeclaration, read the verdict.

On October 22, Khan — who was deposed as the prime minister in April last year via a vote of no confidence — challenged the order of the ECP in the Islamabad High Court, praying to the court to set aside the judgment as ECP had no jurisdiction over the matter.

What is the Toshakhana case?

Under the rules governing “Toshakhana” — a Persian word meaning “treasure house” — government officials can keep gifts if they have a low worth, while they must pay a dramatically reduced fee to the government for extravagant items.

The Toshakhana is under a microscope ever since the emergence of the allegations that Imran Khan purchased the gifts he received as prime minister at throwaway rates and sold them off in the open market for staggering profits.

The 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician was accused of misusing his 2018 to 2022 premiership to buy and sell gifts in state possession that were received during visits abroad and worth more than Rs140 million ($635,000).

The gifts included watches given by a royal family, according to government officials, who have alleged previously that Khan’s aides sold them in Dubai.

The gifts included seven wristwatches, six made by watchmaker Rolex, and the most expensive a “Master Graff limited edition” valued at 85 million Pakistani rupees ($385,000).

The election commission’s order had said Imran stood disqualified under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution.

Following the order, the election watchdog moved the Islamabad sessions court and sought criminal proceedings against him — and the PTI chief has missed several hearings.

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I will resign from office if the new roti pricing cannot be implemented. The Gandapur

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Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa declared on Wednesday that he would see to it that the new roti pricing was enforced throughout the province, threatening to resign from his position if he was unable to accomplish so.

The chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa announced that a second PDM2 test was being carried out while speaking with media outside the court.

“The country is unable to support any such experiments. All eyes were on the PDM-1 outcome. Where is this nation now? Say no more to plunging the nation into darkness “…

“Everyone knows what the caretaker government did with the country?” Speaking from experience, he counseled the authorities to make decisions based on wisdom and caution. Keep the nation in mind.

“Avoid doing any additional experiments, such as the London Plan. Think about the people who are crying because of inflation,” he continued.

We also launched health cards in Punjab, but you completed that project, stated the chief minister of KP. We are going to apply the lower roti rates that we have agreed upon. I will resign as chief minister if I am unable to accomplish this,” he declared resolutely.

Gandapur attacked Maryam Nawaz’s administration and said that it was visible on Tiktok, criticizing the Punjabi government. As long as a deal was made for the general good, he declared, he would not protest.

A court against terrorism in Islamabad heard a case earlier today about violence and ransacking at the Judicial Complex against PTI leaders and others. In the anti-terrorism court, the case was handled by Judge Tahir Abbas Supra.

The pretrial release of Chief Minister Gandapur and several others was prolonged by the anti-terrorism court till April 27.

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PTI will hold a sit-in to demand the release of the party founder.

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Marwat claimed that legal processes and political battle were necessary for the PTI founder’s release from prison.

Regarding the choice to start protests after April 21, the PTI leader stated that both the party and the former prime minister agreed.

If the government tried to use force to stop the party workers from protesting across cities, Marwat claimed that the PTI might start a march towards Islamabad.

According to Marwat, the party was thinking of bringing back a number of its leaders who had declared their intention to leave the PTI after the riots on May 9.

Imran Khan stated that two to three people might be permitted to rejoin the party, even though no criteria has been established for reuniting those who left following the May 9 riots.

The PTI leader went on to say that there is a strong belief that anybody who made a statement criticizing the party shouldn’t be allowed to join it.

Usman Dar stated that his family has suffered greatly and that his name has come up. He also mentioned that Aon Abbas, Maleeka Bokhari, and Ali Nawaz Awan are among those that the PTI believes should be taken back.

The PTI leader spoke on Fawad Chaudhry, saying that although the former party chief has tried to re-join the group, party members are opposed to it.

Former Finance Minister Asad Umar allegedly left the party after receiving a guarantee to be freed from the cipher case, according to Sher Afzal Marwat.

The PTI chief disclosed that he had made an effort to persuade the party hierarchy to reinstate Umar; however, Imran Khan declined.

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NAB clears Nawaz Sharif in the Toshakhana case

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According to specifics, the Accountability Court (AC) received a report from the accountability bureau about the Toshakhana reference.

According to the NAB inquiry report, Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), did not use a fictitious account to pay the money needed to purchase the car from Toshakhana.

The investigation told the court that although the car was turned over to Toshakhana in 1997, Nawaz did not own it at the time of its 2008 purchase.

Furthermore, in the Toshakhana reference, the accountability court has the power to exonerate former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

It is important to note that in January 2020, the executive board members authorized three references against former premiers Nawaz Sharif and Yousaf Raza Gillani, as well as former president Asif Ali Zardari, regarding the charges during a meeting presided over by Justice Retd Javed Iqbal, who was then the chairman of the NAB.

In addition, a complaint was brought against Anwar Majeed and Abdul Ghani Majeed for failing to pay the taxes on the high-end cars that were imported through Toshakhana.

According to the reference, the former president paid the tax amounts on the opulent cars that were gifts from the UAE and Libya using fictitious bank accounts rather than giving them to Toshakhana.

According to the report, former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani extended undue favors to the president, and Nawaz Sharif was permitted to give Asif Zardari the cars during his administration.

It is important to note that the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified the PTI head for making “false statements and incorrect declaration,” which led to the Toshakhana issue becoming a major political sticking point in the country.

According to Articles 167 and 173 of the constitution, the former premier was determined to have engaged in corrupt activities, according to the ruling. “He will be the target of a criminal investigation for making a false statement.”

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