Trial court judge announces 3-year jail term after PTI chief found guilty of corrupt practices n His dishonesty has been established beyond doubt, notes judge n Ex-PM shifted to Central Jail Adiala after being arrested from Lahore home on court orders n Imran has also been disqualified for five years, says Punjab minister n Rana Sana says Imran will be released if he proves himself innocent n A thief was on the run for 15 months: Marriyum.

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/ FAISALABAD   -  Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore by CIA police shortly after the district and session court in Islamabad convicted him in Toshakhana case.

The court sentenced the PTI chairman to three years in prison and imposed a fine of one hundred thousand rupees on him for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts. Additional District and Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar ruled that charges against the PTI Chairman in the case were proven. He stated that the PTI Chairman deliberately submitted fake details of Toshakhana gifts to the Election Commission of Pakistan and is found guilty of corrupt practices by hiding the benefits he accrued from the national exchequer wilfully and intentionally.

According to the court's verdict, the PTI Chairman cheated while providing information about gifts he obtained from Toshakhana which later proved to be false and inaccurate. His dishonesty has been established beyond doubt.

The Toshakhana case was filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the PTI Chairman for deliberately concealing details of the gifts he retained from Toshakhana during his term as the prime minister and proceeds from their reported sales. On October 21, 2022, the ECP maintained that the PTI Chairman made false statements and incorrect declarations about the gifts and disqualified him under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution. Subsequently, the election commission moved a sessions’ court in the federal capital, seeking criminal proceedings against the PTI chairman for misleading the ECP.

‘Buying and selling of state gifts’

The PTI chairman was dramatically arrested from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore soon after the court verdict. PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi confirmed the arrest of the PTI chairman in the Toshakhana case.

PTI chairman was accused of misusing his authority as premier by an act of buying and selling the gifts in state possession that were received during visits abroad and worth more than 140 million Pakistani rupees ($635,000), a private news channel reported. The former premier was shifted to Attock Jail and a team of the NAB will file the PTI chairman’s arrest. Caretaker Punjab Information Minister Amir Mir said that the PTI chief was arrested by the Islamabad police and he was sent to the capital. Imran Khan has also been disqualified for five years, he added.

‘Three-year jail in criminal case’

A local court on Saturday announced a three year jail term for Imran Khan along with fine worth Rs100,000 after convicting him in a criminal case pertaining concealing the details of gifts received from Toshakhana.

The court said that the charges against the accused for hiding assets from Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had been proved during the trial. The court also rejected the plea of former prime minister Imran Khan pertaining to the maintainability of case.

Additional District and Session Judge Hamayun Dilawar announced the verdict into the case and later also issued a fourpage written order. The order said that no one had given arguments from the accused side in a case against admissibility of the criminal case. The plea was being terminated on the basis of arguments given on May 5, and July 8, into the matter.

‘Solid evidences against the accused’

The order said that the complainant had presented satisfactory and solid evidences against the accused, which had proved the charges. It further said that the chairman PTI had submitted the false record to the ECP during the years of 2018-19 and 2019-20 regarding his assets.

It said that the accused had also submitted false record pertaining Form-B in 2020-21. It said that the record pertaining the toshakhana gifts had proved as false and there was no doubt that chairman PTI had committed dishonesty. The order said that keeping in view the crimes, the accused is awarded a three year imprisonment sentence and is imposed Rs100,000 fine. The accused had to face six month jail more if he failed to submit the amount of fine.

The written order said that the chairman PTI was not present during the court announced the verdict. It directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to ensure execution of the arrest warrants against Imran Khan. The court directed the IGP Islamabad to shift Imran Khan to the Central Jail Adiala after arresting him. The warrants said that the superintendent of the said jail had been authorised to keep the accused Imran Khan Niazi in its custody till the completion of the sentence.

Earlier, as the hearing began, the judge inquired whether someone was appeared on behalf of Imran Khan for arguments against maintainability of the case. He said that the court was holding a recession till 12:00pm and it would announce the verdict if Imran Khan’s lawyer didn’t appear. He said that none bailable arrest warrants could be issued if the accused failed to appear on first call. Later, Imran Khan’s lawyer Khawaja Haris appeared before the court and said that he wanted to file application regarding the transfer of the case. The court denied the request.

Judge Hamayun Dilawar made the judgment written in an open court and said that no lawyer appeared before the court despite the second call.

It may be mentioned here that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had terminated the order of trial court pertaining the maintainability of the case and instructed it to re-decide the matter after hearing the defence side. The IHC, however, dismissed the petition of chairman PTI for transfer of the case to another court. The trial court had sought arguments from defence lawyer today regarding maintainability of the case and also summoned Imran Khan in personal capacity. The District Election Commissioner Islamabad had lodge a complaint to the lower court seeking criminal proceeding against Imran Khan for concealing the details of toshakhana gifts from ECP.

No violence this time

PTI leader Imran Khan called for nationwide peaceful protests in response to his arrest and sentencing by the court. In a video message shared on Twitter after his arrest, Imran Khan urged his supporters not to sit silent at home and stage what he said peaceful protests. Only a few people were seen protesting in different cities after Imran’s arrest.

No major security related incident was reported yet. Heavy police contingents are deployed in big cities to maintain peace and law and order. Police sources say the security was heightened near all demonstration sites including government buildings, press clubs, courthouses, city centers, and along major roads in cities nationwide. The threat of violence between demonstrators and police cannot be ruled out, they added. Federal Interior Minister Rana Sana Ullah Khan on Saturday said that PTI chairman Imran Khan was facing consequences of his misdeeds and malice. Talking to the media after addressing laptop distribution ceremony at University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), he said that district and sessions’ judge had given him full opportunity for 7 months to come in the court and present proofs of his innocence but Imran Khan failed to comply with the court orders. He said that Imran Khan remained away from appearing before the court, hence, the court completed legal requirements of the case and announced its verdict. The court decision was made under a systematic manner, he added. He further said that Imran Khan should file an appeal against the court decision as forum of the High Court and Supreme Court was open for him. If he proved himself innocent, he would be released, he added.

Rana Sana said that Imran Niazi minted money by stealing precious items from Toshakhana and his money laundering case was still under trial in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Responding to a question, the minister said that elections would be held in-time and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would arrange general elections after rectifying apprehensions in the census. He said that tariff of electricity and price of oil products were increased only on the harsh conditionality of International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“We were not in favor of increasing prices, but IMF forced us to do so and only Imran Khan and his government are responsibly for price spiral as his government had signed an agreement with the IMF”, he added.

He said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) was ready to contest the general elections and it would surely emerge victorious with a thumping majority. Mian Nawaz Sharif would come back very soon to establish next government with heavy public mandate and the country would resume its pace of development and prosperity, he added.

The Interior Minister said that assemblies would be dissolved after three days and the caretaker setup would hold the elections in a fair, free and transparent manner. Responding to yet another question, he said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) should not be banned but the persecution (Fitna) should be banned who was responsible for all kinds of mayhem in the country. Imran’s arrest has nothing to do with politics Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Saturday strongly refuted the impression that the arrest of chairman PTI Imran Khan was linked to politics or upcoming elections. “Imran Khan was not arrested by the government, only court’s verdict was implemented when he was sentenced in Tosha Khana case,” she said while addressing a press conference here.

The minister said that the investigation of PTI chairman’s crimes had been going on for over one year, more than 40 hearings were done in the Tosha Khana case, but PTI chairman appeared only three times.

She said that it was a simple case of a thief punished for his crime and any effort to link it with politics or elections was unjustified. “All the legal requirements have been met and after the trial is over, the court has given its verdict, in the case of Tosha Khana and his theft has proved,” she said.

The minister read the court verdict which said, “ It has been successfully proven that the accused has committed offense of corrupt practices by making and publishing false statements and submitted false and incorrect declarations and material in particular related to Form B of the year 2021”.The minister said all thieves arrested in various cases also have their vote, so should they all be released before elections? She said that Imran Khan, despite given ample opportunity to provide proofs and file response to questions regarding corruption and misuse of power, he failed to file replies to allegations against him.

Whenever, he was asked to file reply to allegations of corruption, he incited the PTI workers to attack national institutions, she said. She reminded the media that the investigation into the crimes of the PTI chairman had been going on for past one year time. “More than forty hearings of the Tosha Khana case were done and the accused was given ample opportunity to clear himself”, she said.

She said that after fulfilling all the legal requirements and completion of the trial, the court pronounced the verdict. She said that Imran Khan sold the Tosha Khana gifts in the market even before purchasing them which was unique action.

Marriyum Aurangzeb said the chairman PTI used to make excuses whenever he was asked for an answer in allegations of corruption and malpractices.

She said that despite of the providing all the opportunities to clear his name, Imran Khan continued to lie in his answers in the Tosha Khana theft case.

Imran Khan, she continued, also lied in the case of 190 million pounds theft case and in the case of cipher. She also disclosed that the chairman PTI did not disclose correct assets in election returns. The minister said that Imran Khan, had declared three houses in Form B and tax returns of three years.

Imran Khan declared only Rs 500,000 furniture in his 300 kanal house in Bani Gala, 8 kanal house in Zaman Park and his wife’s three kanal house in Bani Gala, she said.

She said that Imran Khan did not declare even a single tola of gold, but honestly declared two goats in his tax returns. Taking a jibe on Imran Khan, she said a thief was on the run for 15 months trying to hide his theft. She said that no one could compare the arrest of Imran Khan with the arrest of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.