LAHORE – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested from his Zaman Parks residence in Lahore minutes after a district and sessions court in the federal capital awarded him three-year jail term in the Toshakhana criminal case.
The development was confirmed by PTI Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who also called the ruling biased. He said the trial court’s verdict will be challenged in higher courts.
Reports said Imran Khan would be shifted to Adiala Jail as he is being taking to the federal capital amid tight security. On the other hand, security has been put on high alert in Islamabad as additional soldiers have been deployed at the check points.
Earlier in the day, Additional Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar found the PTI chief guilty of concealing the Toshakhana gifts in the assets declarations.
The Toskhakhana case was filed against him by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for concealing the Toshakhana gifts in the asset declarations.
The sessions court has also imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on him, stating that that the jail term could be extended by six months in case of failing to deposit the fine amount.
The judge ruled that the former prime minister submitted false affidavit. He also issued arrest warrants against him and directed the Islamabad IGP to implement them.
Following the sentence, the PTI chief stands disqualified for the period of five years, as per the Election Act.
A day earlier, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday again invalidated a session court’s ruling that had declared the Toshakhana case against the PTI chairman as admissible. IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq had instructed the trial court to decide on the maintainability of the matter again after hearing arguments from both sides.
On the other hand, the high court binned the PTI chief’s plea to transfer the case to another court and also issued notices to parties for next week on the petitions seeking restoration of the right of defence.
A session court had last month declared that the Toshakhana case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan against him for concealing the gifts in the asset declarations was admissible. The decision was later challenged by the PTI chief in the IHC.
