Prakriti Deb, Pune
Imran Khan, the ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan, on August 8th contested his conviction in the Toshakhana case issued by a trial court. He argued that the judgment was biased and “a gross travesty of justice”. The cricketer-turned-politician was taken into custody on August 5 following a verdict by an Islamabad trial court that found him guilty in the case, resulting in a three-year prison sentence.
Detailing the reasons, the plea stated that the decision made on August 5 was issued by the trial court judge with a predetermined intention to sentence the appellant as guilty “irrespective of the merits of the case”. The plea also alleged that the judgment on August 5 had been “already written” by the trial court judge, underscoring the fact that the judge took merely 30 minutes to dictate over 35 pages of the judgment.
What is the Toshakhana case?
When the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led coalition government filed a lawsuit against Imran Khan in August 2022, the Toshakhana incident garnered attention. The government alleged that Imran Khan had failed to reveal information about gifts received by Toshakhana and the proceeds from the purportedly “unlawful” sale of certain gifts.
Toshakhana, a division within the Pakistan Cabinet, is responsible for storing valuable items and gifts presented to public officials. As per its regulations, officials are required to report any gifts and valuable items they receive to the Cabinet Division. However, when Imran Khan assumed power in 2018, he resisted disclosing the specifics of numerous gifts he had received during his tenure, citing potential negative effects on international relations.
Imran was alleged to have improperly utilized his tenure as the Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022 to acquire and trade gifts owned by the state, which were presented during foreign visits and had a combined value exceeding ₹140 million ($635,000). In October 2022, the Election Commission of Pakistan held him accountable in connection with this matter, resulting in his disqualification from the Pakistani National Assembly.
The Election Commission of Pakistan itself took the initiative and presented a copy of the complaint to the Sessions Court in Islamabad, requesting legal action against Imran on criminal grounds.