LAHORE MIRROR — The district and sessions court had earlier ruled the case against PTI Chairman Imran Khan as maintainable, rejecting his request to declare it non-maintainable.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq delivered the reserved verdict after reviewing eight petitions submitted by Imran Khan, but the high court only ruled on five of them. The request to transfer the Toshakhana case to another court was denied, and the court issued notices for next week to consider restoring the right to defense.
Imran Khan did not receive an immediate stay order from the court. The verdict stated that the trial court must address all the questions raised in the petition. The case will be heard by Additional Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar.
During the proceedings, the court noted that Judge Humayun Dilawar’s Facebook account was not verified and ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to conduct an inquiry into the matter. The FIA was also directed to identify the individuals involved and submit a report within two weeks.
The Toshakhana reference, which led to the disqualification of the former Prime Minister under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution for providing false statements and incorrect declarations, was issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on October 21 of the previous year.
Imran Khan’s legal representatives, Khawaja Haris and Gohar Khan, as well as the lawyer representing the ECP, Amjad Pervez, appeared before the court during the hearing.
In summary, the Islamabad High Court has declared the previous verdict on the Toshakhana criminal case null and void and has ordered a further hearing in the district and sessions court. Imran Khan’s pleas challenging the case’s maintainability and requesting its transfer to another court, along with the application seeking the right to defense and a stay order, will be considered during the upcoming proceedings.
