• Ex-PM, wife Bushra indicted in Toshakhana case over Bulgari jewellery
• PTI founder reiterates civil disobedience call; claims former spymaster was not acting on his own
• Lahore ATC indicts Qureshi, others in May 9 case
ISLAMABAD: A day after his party leaders agreed to negotiate with the federal government if the offer was ‘serious’, former prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday criticised the PTI leadership for acting like ‘all is well’ and reiterated his call for civil disobedience if the government continued to ignore his demands.
The PTI founder made these comments in a conversation with journalists after a court convened in Adiala jail indicted him and spouse Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana case that pertained to Bulgari jewellery. This arraignment coincided with the indictment of his close aide Shah Mahmood Qureshi who, along with several party leaders, was charge-sheeted by an anti-terrorism court in the May 9 riots in Lahore.
Mr Khan expressed disappointment over the lack of accountability and public acknowledgement of violence that occurred during the D-Chowk protests in the last week of November. The PTI had claimed that the government used live ammunition against its supporters that killed 12 people — a claim denied by the federal government.
The former premier criticised the PTI leadership for not raising this issue forcefully in parliament while also expressing displeasure over statements of the party leaders which portrayed ‘all is well’. A day earlier, PTI interim chairman Gohar Ali Khan, while speaking in the National Assembly, said: “Even if bullets have been fired, there should at least be the courage to give answers, show remorse, apologise, investigate, and compensate the people.”
Mr Khan wondered why the party leadership is giving the impression of being a friendly opposition. “I’m not expressing no confidence in the leadership, but I am concerned with the handling of the D Chowk incident,” the PTI founder said, instructing the party leadership to upload the names of those who went missing during the D-Chowk protest.
In his media talk, the PTI founder reiterated his demands for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the D-Chowk crackdown and the release of detained PTI workers. He said if these demands were not met by December 15, the former ruling party would escalate the protest drive, including intensifying its call for civil disobedience and observing a day of mourning.
Regarding the court martial of the former Inter-Services Intelligence chief Faiz Hameed, Imran Khan said that the ex-spymaster was working under then-army chief retired Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and was not acting on his own. Mr Khan lambasted singer Salman Ahmed for hurling baseless allegations targeting former first lady Bushra Bibi and termed the tweets of Salman Ahmed as foolish.
Indictment in Toshakhana case
The second indictment of the ex-PM in as many weeks came in a corruption case being heard by a special court of the Federal Investigation Agency. Special Judge Central Sharukh Arjumand presided over the session and read out the charge sheet in the presence of both accused. Both individuals denied the charges levelled against them.
Following the indictment, the court announced that the regular trial would commence by Dec 18, summoning four prosecution witnesses for the next hearing. The prosecution submitted a list of 23 witnesses expected to testify in the case.
Mr Khan has been indicted in seven different cases since his first arrest in May 2023 which prompted attacks on state installations.
On May 10, 2023, he was indicted in the case based on a complaint of the Election Commission of Pakistan that accused him of concealing details of the state gifts he purchased from Toshakhana.
In January he was charge-sheeted in the Toshakhana reference related to a graff jewellery set; in February in the £190 million corruption case; and recently in the FIR registered against him over a violent protest outside the GHQ. He was also indicted on Dec 13, 2023, in the cipher case and in January in the Iddat case — in both of which the suspects were later acquitted.
PTI top brass indicted
An ATC in Lahore indicted former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other PTI leaders in yet another case of the May 9 riots.
ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill conducted the hearing at the Kot Lakhpat jail and framed charges against the PTI leaders, including Mr Qureshi, former governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema, former provincial minister Dr Yasmin Rashid, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, and former provincial minister Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed. All the accused persons pleaded not guilty and decided to contest the trial.
Following the denial, the judge directed the prosecution to present its witnesses on Dec 19 to establish the charges against the accused persons.
Separately, the judge recorded the statement of one prosecution witness in a case of attack and burning of police vehicles near Jinnah House (the residence of the Lahore corps commander). The judge adjourned the proceedings of a case related to the attack on Askari Tower till Dec 23 for the indictment of the suspects. Mr Qureshi and other PTI leaders have already been indicted in multiple cases of the May 9 riots.
The police in Lahore registered several cases against the PTI leaders and workers on charges of attacking public and private properties and army facilities, in particular on May 9, 2023, following the arrest of PTI founding chairman Imran Khan in a graft case by NAB.
Wajih Ahmad Sheikh in Lahore also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2024
