Court declares Toshakhana case against PTI chief maintainable

ISLAMABAD: Additional District and Sessions Judge on Saturday declared the Toshakhana case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman as maintainable, ARY News reported.

The district and sessions court Judge Humayun Dilawar announced reserved verdict on maintainability of the case and fixed it for hearing on July 12.

The court rejected the chairman PTI’s plea for adjournment of the case as well as another petition for declaring the case non-maintainable.

The election commission’s lawyer Amjad Pervaiz earlier said that Barrister Ali Gohar appearing in the court in the case from the first day.

Barrister Gohar argued that it is discretion of the accused to choose the lawyer, which represents him. He pleaded to the court to grant time till Monday for arguments in the case. “It is our right to be heard. Khawaja Haris has been in Lahore, the court grant us time till Monday,” Barrister Gohar said.

The election commission had last year in October disqualified the former prime minister in the Toshakhana reference under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution for making “false statements and incorrect declaration”.

The former prime minister had had challenged the trial court’s decision in the Islamabad High Court, which sent the case back to the trial court for re-examination within seven days.

The court declared the case maintainable and rejected the plea of adjournment.