PTI claims SC ruling trashes Toshakhana case

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claimed on Friday that the Supreme Court’s verdict on the NAB amendment law effectively concludes the Toshakhana case-II against PTI founder Imran Khan, deeming it outside the anti-graft body’s jurisdiction.

Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, speaking at a news conference, said that the Al Qadir Trust case would be dismissed under the new law, which exempts cabinet decisions from prosecution. He noted that the prosecution had admitted Imran Khan had no personal interest in the trust’s funds, which were not illicitly acquired.

He clarified that allegations of corruption involving less than Rs500 million fall outside NAB’s jurisdiction, according to the apex court’s ruling.

Gohar recalled that the Supreme Court had previously indicated that if the government appeal were allowed, it would benefit Khan.

“Khan Sahib has consistently asserted that he is advocating for the rights of the people rather than seeking personal gain. He supports robust anti-corruption laws and their effective enforcement,” Gohar said.

Regarding the Al Qadir case, he pointed out that the prosecution had initially acknowledged that Imran Khan did not personally benefit from the trust, and the cabinet had approved the decision, which was not made personally by Khan. “In light of the Supreme Court’s judgment, if there is no personal gain, then the case does not qualify as corruption and should be dismissed on merit, along with any other similar cases,” he argued.

About the PTI’s September 8 rally, Gohar expressed regret over the denial of their constitutional and democratic right to peaceful protest. He said that the Constitution guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and stated that if a person’s vote was not counted or manipulated, they had the right to protest peacefully. He assured that the rally would be conducted peacefully with participants from across the country.

Meanwhile, the PTI core committee convened to discuss several issues, including challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s rejection of their intra-party poll applications in court.

Presided over by Barrister Gohar, the meeting was attended by Omar Ayub and other senior leaders. The legal team briefed the committee that the NAB amendment had rendered the cases against PTI’s founder ineffective.

The core committee agreed to mobilise all efforts to ensure the rally’s success and assigned specific responsibilities to its members.