The court has announced the date after the PTI chief failed to turn up before the court in the Thoshakhana reference.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Jan 31st, 2023) A local court decided on Tuesday to frame charges against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case.
Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal announced February 7 as the date of the indictment.
The court set the date for indictment of Imran Khan after the PTI chief failed to appear before it in the said case.
As the hearing commenced, Advocate Ali Bukhari appeared before the court to represent the PTI Chief. The judge asked the counsel to present the power of attorney.
The Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) counsel argued that power of attorney could not be submitted till personal appearance of Imran Khan. The ECP counsel asked the court to issue arrest warrants for Khan.
The counsel for the PTI Chief, meanwhile, told the judge that they had submitted the medical certificate of their client in the last hearing. He submitted that Barrister Ali Gohar, the senior counsel for the PTI chief, was coming to the court in five minutes.
The court, at this, sought power of attorney from Advocate Bukhari.
The counsel of ECP opposed the power of attorney of the counsel of Imran Khan, saying that they should surety bonds as assurance about presence of Khan. He also asked the court to issue arrest warrants for the PTI chief for his failure to appear in court.
After hearing both sides, the court turned down the requests of the counsel for the ECP and directed Imran Khan to submit surety bonds of Rs20,000 to ensure his presence in the next hearing.
The ECP last year in November, in a consensus verdict in Toshakana reference, disqualified Imran Khan, holding that the PTI chief was no more a member of the National Assembly.
The ECP held that the PTI chief had submitted a false affidavit and was found involved in corrupt practices under Article 63(1)(p).
The Election Watchdog also declared that Khan had made “false statements and incorrect declarations, therefore he has also committed the offence of corrupt practices defined under Sections 167 and 173 of the Elections Act, 2017”.
The offence, it said, waas punishable under Section 174 of the Elections Act, 2017 and allowed legal proceedings and follow-up action under Section 190(2) of the Elections Act. Besides, the ECP also sent a reference to a trial court to begin criminal proceedings in the case.
The trial court, on November 22, took up the Toshakhana reference moved by Election Commission against Khan over charges of corrupt practices but he denied all these charges.
