A district and sessions court on Tuesday approved Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and former prime minister Imran Khan request for exemption from a court appearance in the Toshakhana reference case. The court was set to frame charges against Imran in the Toshakhana reference today and had directed the ousted premier to ensure in-person attendance. However, Barrister Gohar and Ali Bukhari appeared before the court on behalf of Imran Khan and filed a request for exemption from the PTI chief  attendance on medical grounds. Subsequently, the court accepted Imran  request and adjourned the hearing.

Last week, a district and sessions court had set February 7 as the date for framing charges against the PTI chief in the Toshakhana reference. The reference was filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in November last year, praying the court to proceed against Imran under criminal law for allegedly misleading officials about the gifts he received from foreign dignitaries during his tenure as the premier. The ECP had requested that the PTI chief be convicted for the offences mentioned under sections 167 (corrupt practice) and 173 (making or publishing a false statement or declaration) of the Elections Act 2017. It added that as per the record, the state gifts were purchased from the Toshakhana for Rs21.5 million on the basis of their assessed value, while they were valued at around Rs108 million.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP