On Sunday (March 5), the Islamabad police attempted to arrest former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan for ignoring court summons on 3 different occasions in connection to the infamous Toshakhana corruption case.
The cops reached the residence of the former PM, which is located at Zaman Park in Lahore, but could not find him. Reportedly, Khan was ‘not available’ when the Superintendent of Police (SP) entered his room.
The Islamabad police said that they were only enforcing the court’s orders and that law was equal for all in Pakistan. The cops also warned the political supporters of Imran Khan of arrest if they tried to obstruct them from carrying out their duty.
اسلام آباد پولیس اپنی حفاظت میں عمران خان کو اسلام آباد منتقل کرے گی۔ قانون سب کے لیے برابر ہے۔
— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) March 5, 2023
2/2#ICTP
The Islamabad police sought help from the Lahore police to facilitate the arrest of Imran Khan. Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Akbar Nasir said, “Police’s work is to implement court orders and keep the law and order situation intact. We will try our best that he comes with us.”
On February 28 this year, the Additional District and Sessions court (Islamabad) issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Khan for missing in-person appearances thrice in the toshakhana case.
Judge Zafar Iqbal had ordered, “The accused is making a pick and choose for courts and cases and this case is not included in his priority. The accused be summoned through a non-bailable warrant of arrest for March 7.”
made PM. He has since proceeded to select heads of those institutions investigating his cases – first FIA & now NAB – simply to get his name permanently cleared in Rs 16 bn corruption & Rs 8 bn money laundering cases against him. This is how a country becomes a banana republic.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 5, 2023
Earlier in the day, Imran Khan dubbed Pakistan a ‘banana republic.’ Targeting PM Shehbaz Sharif, he tweeted, “What future can a country have when crooks are thrust as rulers upon it? SS was about to be convicted by NAB for Rs 8 bn money laundering & by FIA for another Rs 16 bn corruption when he was rescued by Gen Bajwa who kept getting NAB cases trial postponed.”
“While under trial he was made PM. He has since proceeded to select heads of those institutions investigating his cases – first FIA & now NAB – simply to get his name permanently cleared in Rs 16 bn corruption & Rs 8 bn money laundering cases against him. This is how a country becomes a banana republic,” he added.
Meanwhile, PTI leaders such as Fawad Chaudhry had threatened countrywide protests and alleged that the arrest warrant against Imran Khan was part of a conspiracy to take him out. “If they cross the red line, there will be a protest that Pakistan has never seen before,” Chaudhry warned.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani federal government had distanced itself from the controversy and claimed that the former PM was being arrested not on its directives but of the court.
The Background of the Case
In May 2022, the former Pakistani Prime Minister was accused of retaining gifts, received by the Office of the Prime Minister from other countries, either for free or at throwaway prices.
As per a report published by The Express Tribune, Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi retained 112 valuables that were gifted to the PM’s Office between August 2018 and December 2021. The duo obtained 52 of the items worth PKR 800200 without ‘paying a single penny’.
The former Pakistani Prime Minister retained the remaining 60 valuables worth over PKR 141 million by paying a total of PKR 38.17 million. The Express Tribune reported that a PKR 85 million Graff wristwatch gifted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman was retained by Khan for a sum of PKR 20 million.
Besides the non-declaration of Toshakhana gifts in tax filings and the firm resolve to withhold information, Imran Khan has been accused of selling valuables that he received as Prime Minister.
He also paid just PKR 754,000 for a Rolex watch valued at PKR 3.8 million. The details of all gifts received by Imran Khan, during his tenure as the Prime Minister, were maintained by a department of the Cabinet Division known as Toshakhana.
Imran Khan has however defended his decision to retain valuables from Toshakhana by claiming “Mera Tohfa, Meri Marzi (My gifts, my choice).” He claimed that he had paid 50% of the value of the gifts.
In October 2022, he was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan over the Toshakhana controversy. It must be mentioned that the Islamabad High Court had earlier noted that gifts received by the Office of the Prime Minister cannot be retained by him after vacating office.
