A Customs court in Karachi has indicted Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Muhammad Aslam Khan in a case pertaining to alleged smuggling and tax evasion, it emerged on Thursday.

Customs department had booked Khan alias Aslam Singapori, who was elected to the National Assembly from the NA-254 (Karachi Central-II) constituency on a PTI ticket in the 2018 elections, in 1997 for alleged misdeclaration and evasion of duty and taxes.

Judge Sadaf Asif of the special court (customs and taxation) read out the charges against Khan, who has been accused of committing offences under Section 156(1)(8)(89) and (14) of the Customs Act, 1969. However, he pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the case.

The judge has, therefore, summoned the witnesses to record their testimonies on the next date of the hearing.

Customs had booked seven men, Mohammad Azam and Hameed-ud-Din along with their five absconding accomplices — Aslam Khan, Mohammad Saleem Khan, Sajjad, Asif, and Akhlaq Ahmed — in 1997.

According to the prosecution, the accused had smuggled electronics goods worth Rs28.57 million in association with Pakistan Air Force personnel into Pakistan under the garb of defence stores of PAF from 1995 till 1997. They allegedly caused losses to the tune of Rs28.57m to the national exchequer.