Toshakhana Case: Court reserves decision over PTI chairman's plea

ISLAMABAD: The District and Sessions Court on Tuesday reserved its decision over maintainability of a plea of the PTI chairman in the Toshakhana case, ARY News reported.

The election commission’s counsel Amjad Pervaiz said in the court that the Chairman PTI has already filed a petition for transfer from the court. “It seems he has no confidence on your court,” ECP counsel said while addressing the judge. “Your court is being subjected to character assassination. He wants to escape from court for last several months. He even doesn’t like to sign on the exemption plea,” the counsel further said.

Islamabad High Court had granted stay to the chairman PTI for one-and-half month, counsel said. “He enjoyed the stay, he knows well there is no way out, he is fleeing from the case,” Amjad Pervaiz said.

ECP lawyer objected over the Chairman PTI’s plea about no-confidence over the sessions court’s Judge Humayun Dilawar. “Chairman PTI could not be allowed to malign the court without a statement on oath,” ECP counsel said. “They have brought this material for your character assassination,” he said.

“PTI used to run such campaigns on social media. Today Gohar Ali Khan did, what the PTI had done,” ECP lawyer said. “He shown posts in the courtroom before all in presence. Gohar Ali Khan could have opted for a judicial inquiry. He did same trolling as PTI used to do,” ECP counsel argued.

“The court was maligned with the material of 2014. It was aimed at vilifying you,” the counsel said in an interchange with the Judge Humayun Dilawar.

“Filing transfer petition in your court is a delaying ploy. Chairman PTI didn’t appear in court today,” he said. “The case witnesses arrive from another city, leaving their work,” he said.

“I have represented former prime ministers in cases, no one of them had file an exemption plea at any time,” counsel said.

ECP lawyer pleaded to the court to dismiss both petitions of the chairman PTI.

The court reserved decision over the plea.

Earlier, Additional District and Sessions Judge declared the Toshakhana case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman as maintainable.

The district and sessions court Judge Humayun Dilawar announced a reserved verdict on the 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 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 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.