ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad special court announced on Thursday that formal charges have been framed against former Prime Minister Imran Khan and wife Bushra Bibi on October 2 in the Toshakhana case where it alleges that the couple has kept an expensive Bvlgari jewelry set, gifted by a foreign leader at a price significantly undervalued.
On Wednesday, the defence team argued a post-arrest bail application for both ex-PM and his wife during the hearing session. But the prosecution could not consolidate all its arguments and sought more time. The court directed the prosecution to present its arguments before 28 September.
Ex-PM Rules Out Talks with Military Establishment
The ex-premier has ruled out negotiating with the military establishment after it refused the reinstatement of a suspended Chief Minister and withdraw any graft cases against him.
A sharp denial by Imran Khan has come in within hours after the judgment was delivered in the court. He clarified that he will not hold any more talks with Pakistan’s military establishment describing negotiations as a “futile exercise.” Khan made it very clear that his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), will no longer discuss matters related to politics with the military. This was even when PTI spokesman Raoof Hassan said talk might still be possible, which was termed a “misunderstanding” by Khan.
He added that his wife, Bushra Bibi, was not involved in the Toshakhana case, but was being roped into it anyway. “I expect that the current Chief Justice of Pakistan, when he steps down, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah will be immediately appointed as the next Chief Justice of Pakistan, whose seniority is defined in the Constitution,” he said
Cancellation of Rawalpindi Rally
In a separate development, PTI announced the cancellation of its planned jalsa in Rawalpindi which was scheduled to take place on September 28. Khan said that this decision was taken due to the fact that this party had apprehensions that the government would confine the rally only to a suburban area rather than allowing it within the city limits. Instead of the rally, the party plans to stage protests, including one from the lawyers outside the Supreme Court.
Raoof Hassan is appointed as the head of PTI’s new ‘Policy Think Tank’.
In an important party decision, Imran Khan appointed Raoof Hassan as the head of PTI’s new ‘Policy Think Tank’. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan in a notification confirmed the appointment of Raoof Hassan. In the upcoming elections, the think tank will take the central place of policy-making direction of the party. Other leadership changes are also in the discussion and party sources claim that the name doing the rounds for the post of central information secretary is Sheikh Waqas Akram.
These updates come when political tensions escalate when Pakistan heads into general elections in February 2024 with PTI and its leadership facing increasing legal challenges.