Toshakhana Case: Pakistan's Supreme Court Rejects Imran Khan's Plea to Halt Trial Proceedings

Pakistan's Supreme Court has denied former prime minister Imran Khan's request to halt trial court proceedings in the Toshakhana case. Imran Khan, who leads the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, went to the Supreme Court after the Islamabad High Court refused to grant him relief. During the hearing, Justice Yahya Afridi of the two-member bench stated that the apex court will not interfere in the trial court's matters regarding the case.

Khan's lawyer, Khawaja Haris, informed the Supreme Court that there are multiple petitions in the high court concerning the jurisdiction of the trial court and the transfer of the case. In response, Justice Afridi directed the Islamabad High Court to address Khan's pending petitions together. The apex court deemed it inappropriate to hear the plea when related petitions are still being considered in the high court. 

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imran_KhanLast year, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified Khan from office in the Toshakhana reference under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution, citing false statements and incorrect declarations.

The Case and Imran Khan's Plea

In May of this year, the Islamabad Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Hamayun Dilawar rejected Khan's challenge to the maintainability of the Toshakhana reference and indicted him in the case. Khan appealed the trial court's decision in the Islamabad High Court.

On July 4, the high court sent the case back to the trial court for further examination within seven days. Following this, Khan approached the Supreme Court, requesting them to overturn the High Court's directive. He also sought a stay on the trial court proceedings until the appeal was decided.

At present, there are four petitions pending in the high court related to the Toshakhana case. The first petition pertains to the recent order, while the other two challenge the trial court's jurisdiction to hear the case. In the fourth petition, Khan requested the transfer of the case to a different court.