ISLAMABAD: On Wednesday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected the request from former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan to withdraw his appeal challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) disqualification verdict in the Toshakhana case.
Imran Khan had initially filed the appeal on October 28, 2022, and later sought withdrawal on January 18, 2023, citing the matter’s pendency in the Lahore High Court.
Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the IHC announced the decision, which had been reserved since September 13, after considering arguments from all parties.
The ECP had, on October 21, 2022, unanimously disqualified Imran Khan under Article 63(1)(p), stating he made false statements and provided incorrect declarations. The electoral body ruled that Imran Khan was no longer a member of the National Assembly.
Imran Khan contested his disqualification in the IHC, challenging the ECP’s jurisdiction over the matter. Simultaneously, a separate petition was filed in the Lahore High Court against his disqualification, challenging the relevant ECP section.
During proceedings, Chief Justice Aamir Farooq expressed displeasure over the concealment of the second petition in the LHC, stating that the case should proceed where the appeal was first filed. Imran Khan’s counsel argued that a larger bench of the LHC was handling the case.
The IHC reserved its verdict on September 13, 2023, after hearing all arguments, and the court is set to announce its decision on Wednesday.
The Toshakhana reference stems from a National Assembly speaker’s reference to the ECP in August 2022, seeking Imran Khan’s disqualification over the Toshakhana scam. The reference, filed by Ali Gohar Khan, PML-N’s Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha, and others, identified 52 gift items violating laws and rules.
These items, received by Imran Khan between August 2018 and December 2021, were sold in the market, with an assessed value of Rs142,042,100. Ranjha argued that Imran concealed information about gifts, including watches from Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, in his assets statement.
Ranjha contended that this withholding of information is a crime and called for Imran’s disqualification for life from contesting elections under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution.
