Islamabad district and sessions court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of a Toshakhana reference against PTI chief Imran Khan till December 8 after recording a district election commissioner's statement. Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal presided over Tuesday's hearing before whom District Election Commissioner Waqas Malik gave his statement. The district election commissioner said he had been authorized to pursue the case.

He added that the ECP was an independent institution that functioned under the Constitution and ensured that corrupt practices were curtailed. Malik further said members of the National Assembly submitted their returnsto the ECP annually. Imran, too, submitted his returns from 2018 to 2021, he added. The hearing was adjourned till December 8.

Last week, the ECP had sent the reference to the court, asking it to proceed against Imran under criminal law for allegedly misleading officials about the gifts he received from foreign dignitaries during his tenure as the prime minister. The commission seeks a three-year jail term and imposition of fine as the punishment.

The complainant in the reference is the Islamabad deputy election commissioner. The reference stated that Imran had "deliberately concealed his assets relating to Toshakhna gifts retained by him particularly in year 2018 and 2019. in the statements of assets and liabilities filed for the year 2017-201 8 and 2018-19".

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP