Islamabad, Jan 10: In another jolt to Imran Khan ahead of general elections, Pakistan’s anti-corruption court on Tuesday indicted the jailed former prime minister and his wife in the Toshakhana graft case filed against them by the anti-corruption watchdog.Judge Muhammad Bashir of the Islamabad-based Accountability Court conducted the hearing in the Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi where Khan has been incarcerated. The case was filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Khan and Bushra Bibi were present when the charges were read. They pleaded not guilty.
A day earlier, the court deferred the indictment because Khan’s wife failed to appear before the court.
According to the case, the 71-year-old former prime minister and his wife received 108 gifts from various heads of state, out of which they kept 58 gifts. They were also undervalued by them while paying a mandatory price to the state.
The gifts included a jewellery set given from the Saudi Crown Prince which the couple retained at a low price instead of depositing it in the Toshakhana.
Under the rules governing Toshakhana — a Persian word meaning “treasure house” — government officials can keep gifts by paying a price for them but first the gift should be deposited. In the case of the first couple, they either failed to deposit the gift or got it for a low price by allegedly using their authority.
This case is different from another Toshakhana case in which Khan was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and later convicted on its plea for hiding the proceeds from the sale of the state gifts. Khan was disqualified by the ECP and the Islamabad High Court on December 6 rejected his pleas against disqualification.
