A heavy security cordon has been thrown around the office of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as the Commission is set to pronounce the verdict against former prime minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case at 2pm today (Friday). The ECP has issued notices to all the respondents including Imran Khan in this regard. Following issuance of the security order by the ECP, about 1,150 security men including one SSP, five SPs, six DSPs have been deployed at the ECP building. The ECP has demanded Rangers, FC and police from the interior ministry for security which have also been deployed.

The authorities have also limited the entry into Red Zone. Police officials said they have declared high alert and will not allow PTI activists to reach the ECP office. The ECP had reserved the verdict in the Toshakhana case on September 19 last. The reference was filed against the PTI chairman by the coalition government, for not sharing details of Toshakhana gifts and proceeds from their alleged sale. Established in 1974, the Tosha­khana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.

According to Toshakhana rules, gifts/presents and other such materials received by persons to whom these rules apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division. However, the PTI, while in government, had been reluctant to disclose details of the gifts presented to Imran Khan since he assumed office in 2018, maintaining that doing so would jeopardise international ties, even as the Pakistan Infor­mation Commission (PIC) ordered it to do so. On August 4, lawmakers from the Pakistan Democratic Movement — which is part of the ruling alliance — filed a reference for the PTI chief disqualification from public office under articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution over his hesitance to share the details of Toshakhana gifts.

In its hearing on Aug 29, the ECP had sought a written reply from Imran by Sep 8. In his reply, the PTI chief had admitted to having sold at least four presents he had received during his tenure as the prime minister of Pakistan. The former premier, in his reply, maintained that the sale of the gifts that he had procured from the state treasury after paying Rs21.56 million fetched about Rs58m. One of the gifts included a graff wristwatch, a pair of cuff links, an expensive pen and a ring while the other three gifts included four Rolex watches.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP