Imran Khan once again skips Toshakhana hearing

ISLAMABAD: Despite repeated court directives to appear before it, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman once again skipped the hearing of the Toshakhana criminal proceedings case, ARY News reported.

As the proceedings commenced today, Sardar Masroof Khan, a junior lawyer of Imran Khan’s legal team appeared before the court while Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha and the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) lawyer Saad Hasan were also in attendance.

During the hearing, the judge inquired PTI chief’s lawyer whether his client would appear in court today as well to which Masroof replied that he was unaware of Imran’s appearance in court.

At this, Additional District and Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal expressed displeasure on Imran Khan’s conduct.

“Imran Khan’s senior legal team will be arriving by 10am,” he Masroof.

ECP’s lawyer Hasan then requested the court to adjourn the hearing till March 9 as Khan is due in the IHC.

Ranjha also supported the lawyer’s request saying that the PTI chief would surely appear before the high court on March 9.

At this, Khan’s lawyer maintained that he had been informed that it would be easier for the former premier to appear in the katchehri court next week.

At this, the judge remarked that it semed Khan wouldn’t appear in the sessions court on March 9.

The judge directed Khan’s lawyer Sher Afzal Marwat to submit an affidavit and adjourned the proceedings till 2pm.

Khan, who has been recovering from a gunshot injury in Wazirabad last year, has thrice skipped indictment hearings in an Islamabad Sessions Court in the case.

Imran challenges arrest warrants in IHC

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and former prime minister Imran Khan Tuesday moved the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to quash non-bailable arrest warrants issued in the Toshakhana case.

On February 28, Additional sessions judge Zafar Iqbal of an Islamabad court issued the former prime minister’s non-bailable arrest warrant over his non-appearance.

The petitioner pleaded with IHC to hear the bail plea today as the lower court has issued a non-bailable arrest warrant.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana reference under Article 63(1)(p).

In the written judgment, the ECP said: “As per the statement of Khan he had purchased the gifts from Toshakhana paying 21.564 million rupees while the Cabinet Division said that the gifts had a value of 107.943 million.”