IHC reserves verdict on Imran Khan’s plea challenging Toshakhana conviction
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified Imran Khan for five years from holding any public office.
The Islamabad High Court on Monday reserved its verdict on Imran Khan’s plea challenging Toshakhana’s conviction.
A two-member IHC bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, conducted the hearing today.
During today’s hearing, Imran Khan’s lawyer Latif Khosa appeared in court while Advocate Amjad Parvez appeared on behalf of the electoral body.
Latif Khosa told the court that he was refused to attend the hearing when he went to Adiala jail.
Khosa added that he has the right to be present on behalf of his client.
At this, Justice Farooq questioned if he contacted the judge of the court concerned in this matter. Khosa replied that he, including his staff, were stopped and ridiculed.
Justice Farooq told Khosa that he would inform the registrar about this matter.
ECP’s lawyer then raised an objection on the same plea filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC), saying that they had learned about the petition challenging ECP’s disqualification notification.
Advocate Amjad Parvez said that the LHC’s single bench had forwarded the matter to the five-member after hearing it. He requested that this petition was not admissible in this court.
An appeal was filed on August 8 to suspend the trial in the Toshakhana case and the verdict was announced on August 28, said Advocate Amjad Parvez, ECP lawyer.
Parvez added that one month and eight days after the verdict, a separate petition for suspension of the verdict was filed.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified Imran Khan for five years from holding any public office.
A trial court in Islamabad had then found the PTI’s former chairman guilty of “corrupt practices” for concealing details of state gifts that he received as prime minister and sentenced him to three years in prison.
In October earlier this year, the PTI founder Imran Khan challenged the trial verdict in the IHC, however, later he sought withdrawal of the appeal since his petition in the same case was pending before the Lahore High Court (LHC).
