The Pakistani court has recently granted protective bail to former prime minister Imran Khan until June 21.
This decision came after a new First Information Report (FIR) was filed against him, accusing him of committing forgery in the sale of state gifts.
Earlier in the day, the Pakistan government lodged a case of fraud and forgery against Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and their close aides. The allegations were related to the alleged preparation and submission of fake and forged receipts concerning Toshakhana gifts.
In addition, the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered the police not to arrest Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, until June 13 in any case.
Under tight security, Imran Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), appeared before the LHC, and judge Amjad Rafique granted bail to the couple.
According to Khan’s legal representative, they argued that their client has been unjustly implicated in the case, suggesting that it was done with malicious intentions and hidden motives.
“The sole objective of naming the petitioner in the FIR is to harass, blackmail, and politically victimize Khan,” stated the lawyer, while urging the court to grant protective bail.
The First Information Report (FIR) filed in Islamabad implicated Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and his two associates Shahzad Akbar and Zulfi Bukhari.
“The suspects committed fraud, and forgery when the PTI was in power for the purpose of cheating and presented a fake receipt of our business letterhead wherein false receipt showing sale purchases of gifts such as watches, cuff links are fraudulently obtained from Toshakhana (national treasury) with false signatures was prepared,” the FIR said.
The Toshakhana department, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet Division, is responsible for safeguarding valuable gifts presented to leaders, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by foreign heads of state, governments, and dignitaries.
In a separate plea filed by Bushra Bibi, Judge Amjad Rafique granted her bail in relation to this case and issued an order preventing her arrest until June 13.
The controversy surrounding the sale of state gifts received by Imran Khan, a former cricketer-turned-politician, emerged as a significant issue in national politics following his disqualification by the Election Commission of Pakistan on the grounds of providing false statements and incorrect declarations.
Imran Khan is currently facing a multitude of cases, with more than 100 filed against him. His wife, Bushra, is implicated in two cases, namely the Toshakhana (gifts) case and the Al-Qadir Trust case.
The Al-Qadir Trust case alleges that Imran Khan and his wife acquired billions of rupees and land from a real estate firm as a means of legalizing 50 billion rupees that had been identified and repatriated to Pakistan by the United Kingdom during the previous PTI government’s tenure.
