Pakistan’s Supreme Court to hear jailed Imran Khan’s appeal against IHC order on Wednesday

Pakistan’s Supreme Court is set to hear on Wednesday an appeal by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan against the order of the Islamabad High Court, which had rejected his petition seeking transfer of the Toshakhana corruption case to another court. The IHC in its ruling on August 4 refused to grant a plea to transfer the Toshakhana case and sent back the matter to Judge Humayun Dilawar of Islamabad-based sessions court. The court had ruled that as per verdicts of the high courts in similar matters, a case could only be shifted to an alternative court on the basis of valid reasons. The court ordered that Judge Dilawar would hear the case who on the very next day held the hearing and convicted Khan and sentenced him to three years in jail. Khan had challenged the High Court order and finally a three-member panel headed by Chief Justice Umer Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Sayyed Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel will hear the appeal. He urged the apex court to convert this petition into an appeal against the order passed by the Islamabad High Court single bench led by Chief Justice Amir Farooq on August 4. He submitted that the judgement was not warranted by law, contending that the order had been passed in breach of his fundamental rights. The hearing comes a day after the IHC took up an appeal of Khan challenging the conviction. The high court, after a brief hearing, adjourned the case until Thursday. Khan has been facing multiple cases launched against him after his ouster from office in April last year. The Toshakhana is a department under the Cabinet Division that stores gifts given to rulers and government officials by heads of other governments and foreign dignitaries. Khan’s conviction and sentencing means he is disqualified from contesting upcoming general elections. If the former cricketer-turned-politician is absent from the political scene, the prospects for his party appear to be gloomy in the general elections due to take place later this year.