Imran Khan indicted in Toshakhana case

Press Trust of India

Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Wednesday indicted Imran Khan in the Toshakhana corruption case, in fresh trouble for the former prime minister who was arrested by paramilitary Rangers a day earlier from the Islamabad High Court premises.

Khan, 70, has been in the dock for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch, he received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit.

Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.

On Wednesday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman was indicted in the Toshakhana case. The charge sheet was read out to Khan in the courtroom. Khan was present in the District and Sessions Court where judge Humayun Dilawar conducted the hearing. Khan has denied any wrongdoing.

The case was filed last year by the Election Commission of Pakistan and Khan had skipped several hearings in the past months. It alleges that Khan had “deliberately concealed” details of the gifts he retained from the Toshaskhana - a repository where presents handed to government officials from foreign officials are kept - during his time as the prime minister and proceeds from their reported sales.

Khan was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in October last year for not sharing details of the sales. The election body later filed a com - plaint with the district court to punish him, under criminal laws, for selling the gifts he had received as prime minister of the country