Toshakhana case: Pak court admits Election Commission's plea for criminal proceedings against Imran Khan

A Pakistani court on Thursday asked Imran Khan to appear before it next month after it accepted a plea filed by the country's Election Commission, seeking criminal proceedings against the former premier for not revealing the proceeds of sale from the state gifts.

The Islamabad district and sessions court deemed the petition for criminal proceedings against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman in the Toshakhana (state depository) case as maintainable and summoned him on January 9.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) last month filed a case against Khan in the district court after disqualifying him on October 21 in the Toshakhana case.


The plea asked the court to proceed against Khan under criminal law for allegedly misleading officials about the gifts he received from foreign dignitaries during his tenure as the prime minister.

Additional Sessions Judge of Islamabad District and Sessions Court Zafar Iqbal, after hearing the arguments declared the ECP petition as valid and summoned Khan to the court on January 9.

The case is based on the plea by the ECP that Khan had "deliberately concealed his assets relating to Toshakhana gifts retained by him, particularly in 2018 and 2019 and sought a conviction for the offences mentioned under Sections 167 (corrupt practice) and 173 (making or publishing a false statement or declaration) of the Elections Act 2017.

The judge on Monday had reserved its verdict in the case. The election body had disqualified Khan under Article 61(1)(p) of the Constitution for the current term of the Parliament.

Khan in various statements has been saying that the case was a kind of witch hunt to disqualify him.