The Islamabad High Court on Monday said it would announce at 11am today (Tuesday) its reserved verdict on PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s plea seeking the suspension of a three-year jail term sentenced to the ex-premier in the Toshakhana case.
The court reserved its verdict on the PTI chief’s plea after the Election Commission of Pakistan’s counsel concluded his arguments. On August 5, a trial court in Islamabad had convicted the PTI chief in the case filed by the ECP that involved concealing details of state gifts and jailed him for three years. The verdict meant he was disqualified from contesting general elections for five years.
Imran had subsequently filed an appeal in the high court against his conviction. He had also approached the Supreme Court against the IHC’s decision to remand the case back to the trial court judge who had convicted him.
Monday, a division bench comprising Justice Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri presided over the hearing while both parties’ counsels, Khosa and Pervaiz, were also present in the courtroom. During his arguments, the ECP lawyer urged the IHC to issue a notice to the state to make it a respondent in the case as, he said, the law made it necessary.
When Pervaiz concluded his arguments, Khosa said he did not have any objections to the ECP counsel’s plea to issue a notice to the state but also said it “should not be done” at this stage of the case. Subsequently, the court reserved its verdict on the case and said it would announce it at 11am tody (Tuesday). Meanwhile, while the hearing was under way, the Islamabad Police said it was “always ready to deal with any untoward incident during the hearing of important cases” at the IHC.
