There are ‘shortcomings’ in Toshakhana verdict: Pakistan CJ

The Islamabad High Court is set to hear on Thursday a petition challenging the conviction of Imran Khan, who was sentenced to three years in jail on August 5 by a session court

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Wednesday said there were “shortcomings” in the Toshakhana corruption case judgment convicting former premier Imran Khan and the Supreme Court would give its verdict after seeing the outcome of the hearing in the high court.

The Islamabad High Court is set to hear on Thursday a petition challenging the conviction of 70-year-old Khan, who was sentenced to three years in jail on August 5 by a session court.

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The Chief Justice’s observation came as a three-member special Bench of the apex court headed by him and comprising Justices Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Jamal Khan Mandokhail heard the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief’s pleas filed against the trial court’s proceedings of the Toshakhana corruption case.

The Bench observed that the verdict was given in haste and without giving the right of defence to the accused. “Prima facie, there are shortcomings in the trial court verdict,” the Chief Justice said. However, the top court refused to give any order and said it would wait for the hearing of the case by the IHC and after that would hear the case. “We will not interfere in the Toshakhana case today … we will look at the IHC hearing tomorrow and then resume the proceedings,” the court observed.

The proceedings in the apex court and the observation by the judges showed that Khan may get a big relief if his sentence was suspended by the IHC on Thursday.