PTI founder moves Supreme Court against IHC refusal to withdraw appeal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has moved Supreme Court (SC) against the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Dec 6 decision regarding his removal from party chairmanship, ARY News reported on Saturday.

The deposed prime minister — who is currently incarcerated at Adiala Jail — challenged the IHC’s Dec 6 decision, rejecting PTI founder’s request to withdraw his appeal against disqualification in the Toshakhana reference.

The reference alleged that Imran Khan had not shared details of the gifts he retained from the Toshaskhana and proceeds from their reported sales was filed by lawmakers from the ruling coalition last year.

The Toshakhana is a department under the Cabinet Division that stores gifts given to rulers and government officials by heads of other governments and foreign dignitaries. According to Toshakhana rules, gifts/presents and other such materials received by persons to whom these rules apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division.

On Oct 21, 2022, the ECP concluded that the former prime minister had indeed made “false statements and incorrect declarations” regarding the gifts, disqualifying the latter under Article 63(1)(p).

Subsequently, the PTI founder approached the IHC against the electoral body’s decision contending that he had purchased the assets legally hence there was no reason for him not to mention the gifts in his assets statement.

Read More: IHC rejects PTI founder’s withdrawal plea in Toshakhana case

Later, on January 18, the PTI filed a fresh plea in IHC seeking to withdraw the petition, saying that Imran Khan wanted the Lahore High Court (LHC) to hear the matter.

In the petition submitted today, the PTI founder prayed to the Supreme Court to annul the Dec 6 decision, urging the court that if the verdict could not be annulled then it should be referred to the Lahore High Court (LHC).

Imran Khan said that he had challenged the ECP’s decisions to remove him from the chairmanship of the PTI and National Assembly seat. “Since the case was sub judice in the LHC, another application was filed in the Islamabad High Court,” he added.

The petitioner went on to say that later, the IHC was approached to withdraw the case, but the court rejected the petitioner’s request. The petition stated that a court could never insist that the petitioner could not withdraw his petition.

The petition made the ECP, National Assembly speaker and others respondents in the case.