Court summons PTI chief for statement in Toshakhana case

ISLAMABAD: A lower court on Tuesday summoned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman for recording his statement under section-342 as the cross-examination of two prosecution witness was completed in the Toshakhana criminal case.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Hamayun Dilawar heard the Toshakhana case. The PTI leader’s lawyer Khawaja Haris resumed cross-examination of prosecution witness District Election Commissioner Waqas Malik.

To a lawyer’s query, the witness said the ECP had served notices to the PTI chief and sought details about the purchaser and receipts of Toshakhana gifts.

Amjad Pervaiz, counsel for the Election Commission of Pakistan, said the witness had never been part of the proceedings in the ECP regarding the matter, and the defence lawyer was asking the questions to mislead the court.

He said the PTI chairman had never told the details of the purchaser of the gifts to the ECP. The ECP’s proceedings were never challenged before any court, he added.

Amjad Pervaiz said the witness had not prepared the documents, rather he just received the same from the ECP.

The judge remarked that neither the facts about the Toshakhana gifts were being heard by the court nor the ECP’s decision was challenged here. The witness had repeatedly told that he was not part of the ECP’s proceedings, he noted and said if something was not written in the attached documents then the witness was not responsible for it.

To a query, the witness said that he knew that tax returns used to be submitted to the ECP by the members of the Parliament every year before December 31. Every member had to disclose their assets, which were transferred or purchased till June 30, through Form-B, he added.

The defence lawyer said that the witness was wrong as a member was supposed to submit the details only related to the transferred assets.

He also said that his cross-examination was based on the documents which were attached with the complaint.

The witness said that the PTI chairman had not attached any proof regarding the Toshakhana gifts with Form-B for the years of 2019-20, and the said form was itself a proof. The documents of 2020-21 mentioned the details of five gifts including a carpet, jewelry, a Rolex watch, a ring, a bracelet, a dinner set etc.

Lawyer Amjad Pervaiz said six challans had been submitted regarding the purchase of gifts.

The witness said that an amount of around Rs 1,16,68,000 was paid deposited for the gifts, but he did not know whether it was was mentioned in the tax returns of 2020-21. His complaint was not about the tax returns, he added.

Waqas Malik said that it was totally wrong that the complaint was not filed by a competent authority and that it was filed on political grounds.

The defence lawyer then conducted cross-examination of second prosecution witness Musadaq Anwar, who said that he himself had verified the tax returns of PTI chairman.

The tax returns submitted by the members of Parliament were public documents, he added.

The court also granted one time exemption from attendance to the PTI chief and adjourned the hearing till Wednesday summoning him to record his statement under section-342.