ISLAMABAD: The Registrar’s Office of the Supreme Court in Pakistan has returned the appeal filed by Imran Khan, founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, challenging his conviction in the Toshakhana case.
The SC office cited objections, stating that the documents attached to the appeal were incomplete. It advised that the appeal could be refiled with all the relevant documents on January 6.
Imran Khan was sentenced to three years in prison and fined Rs100,000 in the Toshakhana case, where he was found guilty of graft. The conviction led to his disqualification from holding any public office for five years.
To overturn the conviction and contest the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8, 2024, Khan petitioned the Supreme Court against the Islamabad High Court’s order in the Toshakhana case.
The Islamabad High Court dismissed Khan’s plea seeking the suspension of the trial court’s verdict in the Toshakhana case. In his fresh petition to the Supreme Court, Khan appealed for the stay of the IHC’s verdict, arguing that the suspension of only his sentence, instead of the entire order of conviction, denies his fundamental right to contest elections.
The Toshakhana case revolves around allegations that Imran Khan misused his premiership from 2018 to 2022 to buy and sell gifts received during official visits abroad. The gifts were alleged to have been sold for profits in the open market.
The items included watches, with accusations that Khan’s aides sold them in Dubai. The case has been a subject of scrutiny, and Khan’s legal challenges aim to overturn the conviction and its consequences on his political eligibility.
