Islamabad High Court rejects former PM Imran Khan's plea to withdraw appeal against disqualification in Toshakhana case

Islamabad [Pakistan], December 6 (ANI): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan's plea to withdraw his appeal against disqualification in the Toshakhana case, as reported by Dawn.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq announced the verdict on Wednesday, reserved on September 13.
Imran Khan was arrested in Toshakhana, Al-Qadir Trust and cypher cases and is currently in Adiala Jail, according to Dawn.
The court stated that Imran Khan had been found guilty of corrupt practises, deliberately submitting fake details of Toshakhana gifts to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
On August 5, 2022, the District and Sessions Court sentenced Imran Khan to a three-year jail term in the Toshakhana criminal case, imposing a Pakistan Rupee (PKR) 1,00,000 fine on the convicted PTI chief. The court also declared the former prime minister ineligible to hold public office for five years.
Imran Khan emphasised that he had procured the gifts from the state treasury after paying Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 21.56 million fetched about Rs 58 million, adding that one of the gifts included a graff wristwatch, a pair of cuff links, an expensive pen and a ring while the other three gifts included four Rolex watches.
Moreover, the Toshakhana is a department under the Cabinet Division that stores gifts given to rulers and government officials by heads of other governments and foreign dignitaries.
According to Toshakhana rules, gifts and other such materials received by persons to whom these rules apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division, Dawn reported.
Later in October, the ECP concluded that Khan had indeed made "false statements and incorrect declarations" regarding the gifts.
Following that, the former PM approached the IHC against its decision contending that he had purchased the assets legally and hence it was right of him to mention the gifts in his assets statement, according to Dawn.
However, on January 18, the PTI filed a fresh plea in IHC seeking to withdraw the petition, saying that Imran wanted the Lahore High Court to hear the matter. (ANI)