The appeal can be refiled with all relevant documents by Jan 6, 2024
The office of the registrar at the Supreme Court has sent back the appeal filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, challenging his conviction in the Toshakhana case.
The SC office raised objections to the appeal, citing incomplete documentation. It was suggested that the appeal could be resubmitted with all the necessary documents by January 6 next year.
Sardar Latif Khosa, Khan's lawyer, lodged an appeal under Article 185 of the Constitution.
The former prime minister received a three-year prison sentence and a Rs100,000 fine from Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Humayun Dilawar on August 5, 2023. The judge found Khan guilty of corruption in the Toshakhana case, leading to his disqualification from holding any public office for a duration of five years.
The PTI founder Saturday petitioned the SC against the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) order in the Toshakhana case as part of his efforts to overturn the conviction in the case to contest the general elections scheduled for February 8, 2024.
The IHC had dismissed the PTI supremo's plea seeking suspension of the trial court’s verdict in the Toshakhana case.
In his plea filed in the IHC — the same court that had suspended his sentence — Khan had sought to nullify the conviction.
In the fresh petition, Khan appealed the IHC's verdict to be stayed, stating that his sentence in the Toshakhana case had already been suspended.
He contended that he is being denied his fundamental right to contest elections due to the suspension of only his sentence instead of the entire order of conviction by the trial court, which bars him from running for office.
The IHC's two-member bench had on December 21 turned down Khan's request for the suspension of his conviction, which would have paved the way for his eligibility to stand in elections.
Under the rules governing Toshakhana — a Persian word meaning "treasure house" — government officials can keep gifts if they have a low worth, while they must pay a dramatically reduced fee to the government for extravagant items.
The Toshakhana has been under a microscope ever since the emergence of the allegations that Imran Khan purchased the gifts he received as prime minister at throwaway rates and sold them off in the open market for staggering profits.
The 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician was accused of misusing his 2018 to 2022 premiership to buy and sell gifts in state possession that were received during visits abroad and worth more than Rs140 million ($635,000).
The gifts included watches given by a royal family, according to government officials, who have alleged previously that Khan's aides sold them in Dubai.
Moreover, seven wristwatches, six made by watchmaker Rolex, and the most expensive a "Master Graff limited edition" valued at 85 million Pakistani rupees ($385,000), were also among the gifts.