Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have approached the Islamabad High Court to challenge the sentence awarded to them in the Toshakhana II case.
According to a private television report, both have filed formal appeals seeking the annulment of the trial court’s verdict. The appeals state that the decision was issued in violation of legal requirements and without proper evaluation of the evidence on record.
Filed through their legal team, the appeals argue that the witness whose statement formed the basis of the conviction had already been dismissed from service, and awarding punishment on the strength of such testimony is contrary to the principles of justice.
The appeals have been submitted through advocate Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry. In the Islamabad High Court, Bushra Bibi’s appeal has been assigned diary number 24561, while Imran Khan’s appeal has been given diary number 24560.
The appellants have maintained that the court relied entirely on the statement of a plea-bargain witness, even though under the law such testimony cannot be treated as conclusive evidence. The appeals further state that the prosecution failed to prove the allegations against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, and that the evidence presented did not meet the required legal standards.
It has also been argued that a person cannot be punished repeatedly for the same nature of offence, whereas this principle was ignored in the Toshakhana II case. The appeals contend that the Special Central Court lacked the legal jurisdiction to hear the matter, rendering the verdict beyond its authority.
The appellants have further alleged that Sohaib Abbasi was illegally made a state witness, raising serious questions about the transparency of the proceedings. They maintain that the Bulgari set was retained in accordance with Toshakhana rules by the former ruling couple, and no element of bad faith or violation of law was established.
The appeals also claim that the case was instituted without a complete investigation and pursued on political grounds with the intention of political victimisation. It has been argued that the appellants do not fall under the legal definition of public servants, therefore certain laws applied to them are not applicable.
Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi have requested the court to fix their appeals for an early hearing so that the requirements of justice can be met in a timely manner.
