The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday gave another week to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief and former Prime Minister Imran Khan to submit his reply in the Toshakhana case against him, local media reported.
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan while appearing before a five-member bench of the commission, headed by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, pleaded for more time to file a reply, Dawn reported.
He said the main lawyer for the PTI chairman, Barrister Ali Zafar, was in Lahore and he was unable to consult him on the matter. He said he would try his best to submit the reply at the next hearing.
The CEC observed that since everything was part of the record, it must not take so much time to submit a reply.
However, the PTI chief was granted more time and the hearing was adjourned until September 7, Dawn reported.
National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had earlier this month sent a reference to the ECP seeking disqualification of Khan in the light of the Toshakhana case.
On August 24, ECP rejected a reference filed by MNAs hailing from the ruling coalition government against Imran Khan. The counsel representing Imran Khan said that a reference filed from the speaker National Assembly is already being heard at the ECP and since both of them pertain to a similar matter, therefore one of them should be quashed.
During the hearing on August 22, ECP rejected Imran Khan's counsel's plea to grant a three-week time for submission of answer in Toshkhana reference and adjourned the hearing until August 29.
Earlier in April, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) filed the reference claiming that Khan had paid for only some items that he took home from the 'Toshkhana', but most items that he took from the government treasure-house was done so without paying for them.
In the reference, it was alleged that Khan did not disclose the gifts he took and concealed the information in his statements.
Reportedly, gifts received by government officials are to be reported immediately, to enable their value to be assessed. Only after an assessment is conducted can the recipient take away the gift, if he wants to keep it, after depositing a specific amount.
These gifts either remain deposited in the Toshakhana or can be auctioned and the money acquired through it is to be deposited into the national treasury.
In July, the former Pakistan Prime Minister sold three expensive watches from the government treasure-house collectively worth more than 154 million Pakistani rupees (Pkr) to a local watch dealer, media reports said.
Imran Khan reportedly earned millions of rupees from these jewel-class watches gifted to him by foreign dignitaries, The News International newspaper reported.
The most expensive watch worth over Pkr 101 million was retained by Khan at 20 per cent of its value after his PTI government amended the rules and settled the gift retention price at 50 per cent of its original value.
The PTI chief first sold the watches and then deposited 20 per cent of each in the government treasury, the Pakistan daily said citing documents and sale receipts.
It added that these gifts worth millions of rupees were never deposited in Toshakhana.
While, the former prime minister, in response to the Toshakhana controversy during an informal media chat, had said those were his gifts and it was his choice whether or not to keep them.
( With inputs from ANI )
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