Daily Times

A local court on Thursday admitted the petition of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) pertaining to Toshakhana scam and subsequent initiation of criminal proceedings against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan, while summoning the latter in a personal capacity on January 9. Additional District and Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal announced the reserved verdict on the maintainability of the ECP’s petition. The decision was reserved on the last hearing by the judge after listening to arguments from the ECP lawyer. The petition was filed by District Election Commissioner Islamabad seeking criminal proceedings against PTI’s head over allegedly hiding Toshakhana gifts’ details in documents submitted to the commission.

The petitioner had stated that PTI chief didn’t want to “public the gifts’ details”. The former prime minister had received “foreign gifts worth Rs142 million during his tenure”. On the last hearing, ECP’s lawyer Saad Hassan appeared before the court and presented his arguments. “Imran Khan said that he constructed a road with the money [acquired from] Toshakhana [gifts],” he said, adding that a prime minister has to deposit any gift they receive to the Toshakhana. He further stated that the Toshakhana gifts could be retained after paying 20% of the gift’s price until the PTI government introduced a new law which allowed taking the Toshakhana gifts after paying 50% of its price.

“The price of the watch was estimated at Rs85 million,” he said, adding that Khan failed to state the amount for which he sold the Toshakhana watch. Hassan stated if any Toshakhana items were transferred then it was mandatory to mention them in the tax income statements. “It is not possible to personally own an item from the Toshakhana without declaring it,” said the lawyer.