Pakistan court dismisses petition against former PMs including Nawaz Sharif in Toshakhana case

Lahore: A court in Pakistan on Friday dismissed a petition seeking disclosure of Toshakhana gifts (received from heads of the states) against all former premiers, including Nawaz Sharif and former lawmakers and not just Imran Khan.

Petitioner Tanveer Sarwar had requested the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Justice Raheel Kamran to issue directives for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to “allow criminal complaints against all former premiers and lawmakers,” who are contesting the February 8, 2024 polls but did not show details of Toshakhana gifts they received in their assets submitted to the ECP in their nomination papers.

Sarwar said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) founder Imran Khan was handed down three year imprisonment in the Toshakhana case for “non-disclosure of the details of state gifts in his assets.”

On the contrary, former prime minister such as Nawaz Sharif, Yousaf Raza Gillani and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and former president Asif Zardari did not disclose the details of their Toshkhana gifts but “they are contesting upcoming polls,” he claimed.

"The ECP is prejudiced only against Imran Khan but is not taking any action against the above-mentioned persons,' the petitioner said and requested the court to stop the ECP from “selective prosecution.” After hearing the arguments of the petitioner, the judge dismissed the petition as being not maintainable.

Despite the question of 10-year disqualification or life-time ban on Nawaz Sharif handed down by the apex court in 2017 in corruption cases, his nomination papers on both Lahore and Mansahra national assembly seats have been accepted.

Speculations are rife that Sharif is going to become the prime minister for the fourth time on the blessing of military establishment, which is accused of indulging in massive pre-poll rigging to stop Imran Khan's PTI from returning to power. The powerful army has ruled over Pakistan for most of the period during its 75-plus years of existence.