Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday suspended former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan's conviction and the three-year sentence in the Toshakhana corruption case.
A trial court in Islamabad convicted and sentenced the 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman to three years in prison on August 5.
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.
Following is a timeline of the main developments in the Toshakhana case:
August 2022: National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf sent the Toshakhana case against Khan to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) under the Constitution.
September 19, 2022: The ECP reserves judgment in the case.
October 21, 2022: The ECP ruled that Khan made “false statements and incorrect declarations” about the gifts and disqualified him under the Constitution.
November 21, 2022: The ECP moved a sessions court in Islamabad for criminal proceedings against Khan.
May 10, 2023: The trial court indicted Khan.
July 4, 2023: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) overturned the trial court's ruling on the maintainability of the case and directed it to rehear the petitioner and decide the matter within seven days.
July 8, 2023: Judge Humayun Dilawar declared the Toshakhana case against Khan as maintainable.
August 2, 2023: The trial court rejected the list of witnesses presented by Khan.
August 4, 2023: Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq referred the matter back to the trial court with a direction to re-examine the jurisdiction and any procedural lapse in the filing of the complaint by the Election Commission.
August 5, 2023: Judge Dilawar found Khan guilty of “corrupt practices” in the Toshakhana case and sent the PTI chief to jail for three years.
August 7, 2023: Khan's party files plea in Supreme Court; seeks retrial in Toshakhana case.
August 8, 2023: The ECP disqualifies Imran Khan for five years following his conviction in the Toshakhana corruption case.
August 23, 2023: There were 'shortcomings' in the trial court's Toshakhana case judgment against Khan: Pak chief justice.
August 25, 2023: Islamabad High Court finds fault in sessions court's verdict against Khan in the Toshakahna corruption.
August 28, 2023: Islamabad High Court reserves verdict in the case to August 29.
August 29, 2023: The Islamabad High Court suspends Khan's conviction and three-year sentence in the Toshakhana corruption case.