Islamabad, Oct 5: Imran Khan on Thursday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking suspension of the trial court’s verdict in the Toshakhana corruption case more than a month after it suspended the jailed former prime minister’s three-year sentence for concealing details of state gifts.
Khan, who turned 71 on Thursday, was arrested on August 5, 2023, and shifted to Attock jail after Additional District and Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar sentenced him to three years in prison in the Toshakhana (national treasury gifts) graft case.
The court had found the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief guilty of “corrupt practices”.
The Supreme Court later acknowledged “procedural defects” in Khan’s conviction by the trial court.
On August 28, the IHC suspended Khan’s sentence in the Toshakhana case but the PTI chief was not released because he was arrested in the cipher case for allegedly violating the Official Secrets Act by disclosing a cable sent by Pakistan’s embassy in Washington last year in March.
He has since remained behind bars on judicial remand, which has been extended until October 10.
On September 26, Khan was shifted to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi from Attock jail in Punjab province following the directives issued by the IHC. Last weekend, the police ramped up security in the vicinity of the Adiala jail by deploying elite commandos and setting up additional security pickets to ensure foolproof measures.
Khan, through senior lawyer Latif Khosa, on Thursday moved the IHC against the Toshakhana verdict under section 561-A (saving of the inherent power of high court) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The petition’s title stated that it sought “rectification of the order dated August 28 to the extent of suspending the operation of the impugned order along with the sentence as verbally prayed by the learned counsel for the petitioner before this honourable court at the time of arguments”.
The petition urged the court to rectify the “omission of not recording the contention of the learned counsel for the petitioner with regard to the suspension” of the Toshakhana judgment of August 5.
It further requested the IHC that the operation of the same order be “suspended/stayed till final decision of the appeal”.
The plea also sought permission to make the state a respondent in the memo of appeal. The petition listed the Election Commission of Pakistan as a respondent in the case. (PTI)
