ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) declined imprisoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s request on Thursday to suspend the trial court’s ruling in the Toshakhana case entirely, shattering his aspirations to contest the imminent general elections.
The ousted former prime minister, who was dismissed from power through a parliamentary vote in April last year, had appealed to the IHC to rectify its August 28 decision by halting the judgment passed by the trial court on August 5.
In August 2023, Khan was handed a three-year prison sentence and a fine of Rs100,000 by Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Humayun Dilawar after being found guilty of corruption in the Toshakhana case.
He was convicted of misusing his position as prime minister by selling state gifts valued at over Rs140 million ($490,000) received from foreign dignitaries during his overseas visits.
Subsequent to his conviction, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified the former PM for five years. The electoral body stated in a notification that the PTI leader was disqualified for engaging in corrupt practices under Section 167 of the Elections Act, 2017, and receiving a three-year sentence.
The IHC, however, on August 28, suspended Khan’s sentence in the Toshakhana case, but his conviction and disqualification remain in effect until the court rules on the primary appeal.
The PTI leader approached the IHC, seeking a complete suspension of the trial court’s verdict in the case.
In a detailed nine-page judgment, a two-member bench of the IHC, headed by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, stated, “In this case, no specific plea was raised initially, and the subsequent application was made to cover up the omission. There were no extraordinary or exceptional circumstances mentioned in the prior application, even though they existed in the form of the notification dated 08.08.2023 when the application for suspension of the sentence was filed.”
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
