Daily Times

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial will take up Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s petition challenging the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) decision on the Toshakhana case on Wednesday (August 23), a private TV channel reported.

Apart from CJP Bandial, the bench will comprise Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail.

They will hear the plea filed by the PTI chairman on August 5 challenging the IHC’s decision that declared the sessions court’s maintainability verdict in the Toshakhana case against the PTI chief “void”. IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq gave the court’s ruling on eight petitions of the PTI chairman after arguments by both parties – which were completed.

The court, however, rejected the former prime minister’s request to transfer the case to another court and said that Additional Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar would hear the case.

On October 21, 2022, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) maintained that the former prime minister made “false statements and incorrect declarations” about the gifts and disqualified him under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution. Subsequently, the election watchdog moved the sessions court to the federal capital. It sought criminal proceedings against the PTI chief for allegedly misleading the ECP regarding gifts received from foreign dignitaries while he was in office.

The PTI chief was indicted in the case on May 10, while his petition to declare the case inadmissible was rejected by the court. On July 4, the IHC overturned the same ruling and directed the sessions court to hear the petitioner and decide the matter within seven days. On July 8, ADSJ Humayun Dilawar declared the Toshakhana case against Khan as maintainable, which was again challenged in the IHC.