Toshakhana case: Nawaz Sharif says Pakistan Chief Justice supports ex-PM Imran Khan

Chief Justice Bandial on Wednesday said there were "shortcomings" in the trial court's Toshakhana case judgment against the 70-year-old Khan

Islamabad: Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday accused Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial of trying to save Imran Khan after he picked holes in the conviction of the ex-premier in the Toshakhana corruption case verdict.

Chief Justice Bandial on Wednesday said there were “shortcomings” in the trial court’s Toshakhana case judgment against the 70-year-old Khan.

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“The chief justice is well aware that this person [Imran Khan] has wreaked havoc on Pakistan’s economy, ethics, and culture. He has propagated violence and repeatedly violated the Constitution,” Sharif told reporters outside his Avenfield residence in London, where he has been living since 2019.

The supreme leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said that the chief justice was putting his own future at stake by safeguarding the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief, the Express Tribune newspaper reported.

“It pains me to witness that, despite knowing everything, he (CJP) is supporting him (Imran),” he said.

Sharif said that former chief justice Saqib Nisar had previously claimed that his aim was to disqualify him and throw him behind bars.

“It is on record that Saqib Nisar had also said in the past that we must imprison Maryam Nawaz and me and bring Imran Khan into power,” he said.
Recalling past statements from Khan, Sharif said that when the PTI chief became prime minister he had said during a visit to the US that he would remove the ceiling fan from Sharif’s prison cell.

The PML-N leader said when Khan was in opposition he had said he would tie a rope around Sharif’s neck and throw him out of the Prime Minister’s House.

Separately, Sharif’s daughter and PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz said Bandial had already given a verdict.

“When chief justice sahib has already made the verdict, what is the point of waiting for the high court’s decision?” she posted on X.

Sharif and his daughter spoke hours after a three-member Supreme Court bench, while hearing Khan’s petitions regarding the Toshakhana case, made it clear that the verdict was given in haste and the accused was denied the right of defence.

The bench also announced that it will conduct a hearing on Thursday after the Islamabad High Court hearing. The remarks given by the judges during the hearing left an impression that Khan would get relief from the apex court.

The case was launched last year in October on the complaint of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) which had earlier disqualified Khan in the same case.

The case 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 from 2018 to 2022 and proceeds from their reported sales.

According to Toshakhana rules, gifts/presents and other such materials received by persons to whom these rules apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division.

Khan reportedly received 58 gifts worth more than Rs 140 million from world leaders during his three-and-a-half-year stint and retained all of them either by paying a negligible amount or even without any payment.