New Delhi: The Islamabad High Court suspended Imran Khan’s three-year jail sentence Tuesday in the Toshakhana case in which he was convicted nearly a month ago for failing to disclose information on state gifts and selling them ‘illegally’.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief, however, will remain in Attock District Jail, where he was shifted 19 August following the order of a special court set up under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), 1923.
Khan was booked under Section 5 of the OSA earlier this month, for making public the content of a confidential diplomatic cable from Pakistan’s embassy in the US. This confidential document contained an account of a meeting between US State Department officials, including Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, and then Pakistani envoy Asad Majeed Khan.
After a trial court pronounced him guilty on 5 August, Khan was imprisoned in the Toshakhana case. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) then barred him from contesting elections for five years, including the upcoming general elections later this year.
The PTI chief was also disqualified from Pakistan’s National Assembly last October and has faced over 200 cases since his ouster in April last year.
In response, the cricketer-turned-politician filed an appeal in the Supreme Court (SC) earlier this month. The top court on 24 August observed “procedural defects” in the 5 August conviction but decided to wait for the high court’s order.
Over the past month, Khan’s jail conditions have been a point of concern for many including his legal team as well as his wife Bushra Bibi, who noted that the former prime minister’s life was under threat and his health was deteriorating.
After an order from the Supreme Court last week, Attock Jail authorities submitted a report giving details of the facilities provided to Khan, including renovating his washroom, providing an air cooler as well as meals with desi ghee and assigning a dedicated medical team.
Toshakhana case
Filed last year by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the ECP, the Toshakhana case revolves around allegations against Khan for not disclosing information on gifts given to the Toshakhana — the country’s “treasure house” which consist of state gifts and the proceeds from the unlawful sale of these gifts.
Set up in 1974, the Toshakhana falls under the Cabinet Division that stores valuable gifts given to rulers and parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and other state-officials.
Khan is not the first Pakistani leader to face a Toshakhana-related case. As ThePrint earlier reported, a 446-page document revealed that several Pakistan politicians such as former president Asif Ali Zardari and former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Yusuf Raza Gilani were accused of averting rules to obtain luxury cars from the treasury house.
While the exchange of gifts between leaders is a common diplomatic practice, these items are usually considered state property. Pakistan leaders are allowed to buy these gifts from the state, but most leaders paid menial sums when compared to the value of gifts they kept.
Khan was accused of selling four gifts he received from Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, in November 2018 — an antique watch, a gold pen, a ring, and a set of cufflinks that he allegedly sold for approximately $2 million.
The cricketer-turned-politician was also accused of buying precious gifts at low rates from the Toshakhana, selling them for a profit, and concealing proceeds made from the sale.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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