Imran Khan got bail in the Toshakhana case, as the Islamabad High Court paused a sessions court verdict that had sentenced Imran to three years in jail.

Islamabad: Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s sentence awarded to him in the Toshakhana case, Geo News reported. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri announced the much-anticipated reserved verdict. A trial court in Islamabad convicted and sentenced the 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman to three years in prison on August 5.

The court found him guilty of illegally selling state gifts, popularly known as the Toshakhana corruption case. The court also disqualified him from politics for five years. The cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, received a conviction due to accusations of illicitly selling state presents that he and his family had obtained while he was in office from 2018 to 2022.

Furthermore, he was handed a five-year prohibition from engaging in politics, which effectively disqualifies him from participating in any forthcoming elections.

What is the Toshakhana case?

The Toshakhana controversy came to the forefront in August 2022, when the coalition government — led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) — filed a case against Imran, claiming that he did not disclose information on gifts presented to Toshakhana as well as the proceeds from the “illegal” sale of some the gifts.

Established in 1974, Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division which stores gifts and other expensive items received by public officials. According to its rules, it’s compulsory for officials to report the gifts and other such materials received by them to the Cabinet Division.

However, when Imran came to power in 2018, he resisted disclosing details of the many presents he received during his time in office, saying that doing so would severely impact relations with other countries.

Subsequently, the former prime minister wrote a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and admitted to selling at least four such presents but also said that he bought them from the government by paying a percentage of their value. These included a Graff watch gifted to him by the Saudi Arabian crown prince, Rolex watches, expensive cufflinks, a valuable pen and a ring, according to a report in The Indian Express.

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