IHC adjourns PTI chief’s plea challenging Toshakhana verdict

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday adjourned hearing on the PTI chairman’s petition challenging his conviction and sentence in the Toshakhana case, ARY News reported.

The PTI chairperson is incarcerated in Attock jail, serving the three-year sentence handed to him by a district court in Islamabad in the case.

A division bench headed by IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and comprising Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri heard the case and adjourned the proceedings till tomorrow (Friday) 11:30 am.

During the hearing today, Imran Khan’s lawyer Latif Khosa argued that his client’s sentence be suspended. He maintained that without deciding the jurisdiction the proceedings cannot go ahead. He added that he would argue against the sentence of his client on three grounds:

“Trial court ignored IHC and lower court verdict had several mistakes,” Khosa remarked.

“The high court asked the trial court to hear the arguments again on the maintainability of the case,” Khosa continued, adding that the trial court judge violated the high court judge’s order.

The trial court order affected the constitutional rights of the petitioner, he said.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has adjourned hearing in Toshakhana case till a verdict of the high court in the same case.

On August 5, the District and Sessions Court awarded three years jail term to the PTI chairman in Toshakhana criminal case.

The court also imposed Rs 100,000 fine on the convicted chief of the PTI. The court also declared the former prime minister ineligible to hold public office for five years.

The court in its verdict said that the accused had been found guilty of corrupt practices and handed the PTI chairman three years jail sentence.

“Imran Khan deliberately submitted fake details [of Toshakhana gifts] to the ECP and is found guilty of corrupt practices,” he stated.

The court also declared the former prime minister ineligible to hold public office for five years

Later, he was arrested from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore and shifted to Attock Jail.