Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan will appear in the court of the District and Sessions Judge of Islamabad today in the Tosha Khana criminal case. Special security measures have been taken on the occasion of his appearance.
The matter of Imran Khan’s appearance and indictment in the Tosha Khana case has been pending for almost two months. During this time, the court granted Imran Khan’s request for exemption from attendance on medical grounds several times. On February 28, the court issued non-bailable arrest warrants for his non-bailable arrest for the first time.
The last time the court ordered them to appear on March 13, who were subject to immunity and adjournment.
Even on March 13, Imran Khan did not appear in court, after which the court suspended his non-bailable arrest warrant and ordered him to be arrested and presented in court on March 18.
To comply with these warrants, police under the leadership of DIG Operations Islamabad Shahzad Bukhari reached Lahore Zaman Park where they tried to go to Imran Khan’s residence with the help of Lahore Police.
A heavy police force remained at Zaman Park where they faced stiff resistance from PTI workers. Despite the passage of more than 24 hours, Islamabad police could not arrest Imran Khan from Zaman Park. Additional police personnel were deployed around Zaman Park, which completely cordoned off the area, while heavy police presence from Kasur, Gujranwala and Sheikhupura also arrived. Punjab Rangers were also called in Zaman Park.
Police shelled tear gas in Zaman Park. Several shells also fell inside Imran Khan’s residence. Water cannons were also used. Police and Rangers were pelted with stones by PTI workers. Rangers personnel including police personnel were also injured due to stone pelting, after which the police changed their strategy and evacuated Zaman Park.
After this situation, Tehreek-e-Insaf approached the Islamabad High Court again. After listening to the arguments, the court reserved the verdict, which after some time pronounced, the court said that Imran Khan should file his petition in the session court and the trial court should consider the affidavit as per the law.
Tehreek-e-Insaf approached the Sessions Court again and submitted an undertaking.
After hearing the arguments, Additional Sessions Judge Islamabad dismissed Imran Khan’s plea and said that Imran Khan has challenged the writ of the state in Lahore, after which he is not entitled to any relief.
Imran Khan had again approached the Islamabad High Court against the dismissal of the warrant cancellation petition, after which the court granted him relief and restrained him from arrest and ordered him to appear in the court today.
What is the Tosha Khana case?
In August 2022, on the request of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) MNAs in the Election Commission, Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervez Ashraf sent a reference to the Election Commission for the disqualification of Imran Khan.
It was said in the reference that ‘Imran Khan did not detail the gifts taken from Tosha Khana and the money received from the sale of these gifts in his assets.’
According to the reference, Imran Khan did not disclose the expensive gifts received in the Tosha Khana from friendly countries in his annual returns submitted to the Election Commission for two years and these gifts were disclosed only in the returns of the year 2020-21 at that time. Gone when the Tosha Khana scandal became the adornment of newspapers.
Imran Khan and his party deny involvement in any illegal activity terming all these cases as malicious.
In October 2022, the Election Commission had declared that Imran Khan had submitted false details of assets and was guilty of corrupt practices.
The Election Commission had ordered criminal action against Imran Khan in the decision.