Daily Times

A court on Monday rejected the bail pleas filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife and former first lady Bushra Bibi in the new Toshakhana case where they face allegations of misusing power to acquire state gifts.

Conducting the hearing inside the Adiala jail, where the former PM and first lady also appeared, Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand announced the verdict on the bail pleas filed by the couple.

The development comes as the duo is set to be indicted in the said case on October 2 after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was barred from pursuing the matter and the case was transferred to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in line with the Supreme Court’s verdict restoring amendments to the anti-corruption laws.

During the hearing, the FIA prosecutor said that the suspects received the Bulgari (Bvlgari) jewellery set from Saudi Arabia and apprised the court that the agency had obtained records of a necklace and earrings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“According to the records, both items are valued at Rs71.5 million,” said the prosecutor adding that the couple got it valued at Rs5.8 million from a private firm.

Requesting the court to deny the couple’s bail plea, he further said that the suspects also failed to submit the said jewellery set in the Toshakhana repository – a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division that stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries as a goodwill gesture.

Representing the PTI founder and former first lady, Barrister Salman Safdar contended that the new Toshakhana case was similar to the previous one with similar allegations and approvers.

Referring to the September 6 SC verdict restoring the NAB amendments, the lawyer said that the Toshakhana case against his clients should come to an end following the top court’s ruling.

The court then reserved its verdict, and later announced it after a break in the hearing.

Separately, Imran Khan has announced a series of protests in support of the judiciary, beginning in Mianwali, Faisalabad, and Bahawalpur on October 2.

Addressing his supporters through a statement issued from Adiala Jail on Monday, Khan said, “We will protest at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore on October 5, and on October 4, Friday, we will gather at D-Chowk [in Islamabad].”

Khan warned of attempts to “crush PTI” through the so-called “London Plan,” adding that his arrest was part of the broader scheme. “They want to break me in jail, but I am not afraid, and neither should the people be,” he remarked.

He emphasised that PTI’s protests would remain peaceful, stating, “We have always protested peacefully, but this system has failed to protect us.”

Khan also highlighted the treatment of women within the party, mentioning, “Our women are languishing in jails. An 80-year-old woman was charged, yet no one cared.”

Khan voiced support for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who has led a march towards Islamabad, stating that Gandapur “awakened the province’s people” and echoed his call for revolution. “Ali Amin was right; revolution will come, and our message has reached the public,” Khan added.

The PTI leader reiterated his party’s commitment to defending the judiciary and continuing their “struggle for freedom.” He also mentioned his wife Bushra Bibi, who has been imprisoned for several months, accusing the government of trying to weaken him through arrests.

Meanwhile, the federal government has decided to file sedition charges against PTI leaders over speeches made at a rally in Sangjani, Islamabad on September 8.

According to sources, the law ministry will invoke Section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which allows for sedition charges without the need for arrest warrants.

The federal prosecutor general and the law ministry have both approved the charges, with the matter now awaiting cabinet approval before formal charges are filed against PTI leadership.