Islamabad district and sessions court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a petition filed by PTI chairman Imran Khan seeking exemption from personal appearance in the Toshakhana case on health grounds. In November, a trial court took up the Toshakhana reference filed by Election Commission against Khan for allegedly indulging in corrupt practices, which the former premier denies. The ECP disqualified Chairman Pakistan Tehreek- e-Insaf (PTI) in the Toshakhana reference. In the written judgment, the ECP said: “As per the statement of Imran Khan he had purchased the gifts from Toshakhana paying 21.564 million rupees while the Cabinet Division said that the gifts had a value of 107.943 million.

As the Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal resumed hearing the case filed by the ECP for criminal proceedings against the former prime minister, the PTI lawyers filed a petition seeking exemption from personal appearance in the Toshakhana case. The petition was submitted by Khan’s lawyer Gohar Ali Khan and Ali Bukhari. At the outset of the hearing, Khan’s lawyer Bukhari urged the court to fix next hearing of the case after Feb 15 as PTI chief was scheduled to appear before Judge Rakhshanda Shaheen on that day. At this, the judge asked Bukhari to provide a final date “Provide me a date when Imran Khan will appear before court,” the judge told the lawyer. Bukhari told that said his client would appear before the court once allowed by his doctors. After hearing the arguments, the court reserved verdict on Mr Khan’s exemption plea.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP