Court Diary
Essentially, Toshakhana is a Persian word that means treasure house, but in reality, it is the name of a department owned by the Government of Pakistan where gifts received by members of parliament, ministers, foreign secretaries, prime ministers, and presidents are kept. If a leader receives gifts worth less than 30,000, they do not need to deposit them in Toshakhana, they can keep them. But if the gifts are worth more than 30,000, they must be deposited in the Toshakhana department.
Imran Khan is accused of obtaining valuable gifts from abroad during his tenure as Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022 at a low price and then selling them for 6 lakh 35 thousand dollars. Journalist Rana Abrar Khalid gathered information about the gifts received by Imran Khan and brought the case to light. In August 2022, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) allied government’s members of the National Assembly requested the Speaker of the National Assembly, Raja Pervez Ashraf, to refer Imran Khan’s disqualification case to the Election Commission.
On November 22, 2022, a criminal case was initiated against former Prime Minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Islamabad District Court. On January 31, 2024, Accountability Court Islamabad Judge Muhammad Bashir sentenced Imran Khan and his wife to 14 years imprisonment with hard labor, disqualified them from holding public office for 10 years, and imposed a fine of 787 million. The Accountability Court judge announced the verdict in the absence of Imran Khan and his wife.
On April 1, the Islamabad High Court suspended the sentences of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana case and ordered their release. On July 18, another Toshakhana case was filed against PTI founder Imran Khan, and an inquiry report was released. The inquiry report alleged that Imran Khan illegally acquired and sold seven watches, including Rolex watches, diamonds, and gold sets.
The report stated that the gifts were sold without reporting them to Toshakhana, and the private appraiser was given a benefit. The report also stated that the appraiser had undervalued the watch before the email from Toshakhana, which was evidence of collusion. Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were granted a 7-day physical remand in the new Toshakhana case. The Accountability Court extended their physical remand until July 29.
Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi challenged their arrest in the new Toshakhana case in the Islamabad High Court. Today, July 24, PTI’s lawyer filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court to declare Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s arrest illegal and release them. The petition stated that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were arrested in a fake case for political revenge after being acquitted in the previous case. The petition requested that the court declare their arrest illegal and release them.
Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard the case and issued notices to the Ministry of Interior, FIA, Police, and NAB. The court adjourned the hearing until next week.”
