ISLAMABAD: As the criminal proceeding in the Toshakhana case is at the final stage, the counsel for Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday appeared trying to drag on the case with the judge struggling to conclude it in a few days.

When Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Humayun Dilawar resumed the criminal proceeding, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s lawyer Amjad Parvaiz, Imran’s counsel Khawaja Haris Ahmed and others appeared in the court.

Deputy Election Commissioner Waqas Malik, who had testified in the case a day earlier, was scheduled to be cross-examined on Friday.

Khawaja Haris asked when the witness had joined the ECP where he was trained and how he was posted to the current position.

He stopped the ECP lawyer from interacting with the witness expressing apprehensions that the witness will say the same. Mr Khan’s counsel then put a few questions about the filing of the complaint.

He also desired to examine the record related to the proceeding of the ECP on Toshakhana gifts.

The ECP counsel replied that the deputy director law had not brought the record regarding the proceedings.

Khawaja Haris asked the judge to summon the record, however, the ECP counsel said the trial court was not hearing the appeal against the ECP’s decision; therefore, the entire record could not be presented, adding that the case before the court was related to the complaint filed by the ECP for taking action against Mr Khan for concealing the details of assets.

Khawaja Haris requested the court to adjourn the hearing till Monday as he had some family commitments. The judge asked him to conclude cross-examination of at least one witness before rising of the court. Khawaja Haris however left the courtroom before Friday prayers.

When the court resumed hearing, Khan’s counsel Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Sher Afzal Khan Marwat appeared. On their request, the hearing was adjourned till Monday. It may be mentioned that there are only two prosecution witnesses in the Toshakhana case and the judge has recorded the statements of both of them.

Published in Dawn, July 22th, 2023