Toshakhana case: Pak court to indict Imran Khan on February 7

Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Tuesday announced it will charge former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case on February 7.

Khan, the 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician, is in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as prime minister at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit. The judge of an additional sessions court here, Zafar Iqbal, heard the case on Tuesday and fixed February 7 as the indictment date, according to The Express Tribune newspaper.

Khan was also ordered to pay Rs 20,000 as bond, the report said. On October 21 last year, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief made “false statements and incorrect declarations” regarding these gifts.

He was subsequently disqualified by the ECP for making “false statements and incorrect declaration” in the Toshakhana issue.

According to the ECP records, the gifts were purchased from the Toshakhana -- the state depository established in 1974 -- for Rs 21.5 million on the basis of their assessed value, while they were valued at around Rs 108 million. According to Pakistani law, overseas presents need to be deposited in the Toshakhana.