PTI founder and Bushra Bibi convicted, disqualified in Toshakhana reference
Pakistan
Accountability court awards 14-year jail term besides a 10-year disqualification period
RAWALPINDI (Web Desk) – A day after the punishment announced in the cipher case, the PTI founding chairman and his wife Bushra Bibi were convicted and disqualified from holding any public office in the Toshakhana reference on Wednesday.
According to a short verdict announced by Muhammad Bashir, an accountability court judge who conducted the hearings at the Adiala jail, the couple will face 14-year rigorous imprisonment besides a 10-year period ban on vying for public offices in any capacity.
The sentencing also entails a hefty fine of Rs787 million each in a case that revolves around the illegal acquirement and sale of precious gifts received from the other countries, which are stored in the state-run treasury called Toshakhana.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the PTI ex-chairman was presented before the judge who asked him about his statement under Section 342, as he marked his attendance while his wife skipped the hearing.
In his reply, the accused, who is already convicted in the cipher case, said it was in his cell as he had been presented only to record his attendance.
“Submit your reply immediately. Don’t waste court time,” the accountability court judge ordered after the PTI founder’s response.
However, the former head of his party questioned the reason behind the haste and mentioned that the sentencing in the cipher case too, according to him, was announced hurriedly.
As he left the courtroom for the prison cell, he said his defence counsel hadn’t arrived yet and the document would be presented only after consulting them.
With the PTI former chairman not returning, the judge asked the deputy jail superintendent about the delay, to which the prison official said the accused won’t appear again till the arrival of his lawyers.
After some time, the court decided to announce the verdict.
THE CIPHER
Earlier on Tuesday, the PTI founder and his close associate Shah Mehmood Qureshi were sentenced to 10-year rigorous imprisonment in the cipher case, as the special court established under the Official Secrets Act announced its verdict in the keenly-observed episode.
Read more: PTI founder and Qureshi awarded 10-year jail term in cipher case
It was a natural consequence of the saga, triggered by violating the oath taken as a prime minister, which endangered Pakistan’s security, damaged its relations with other nations and got the then opposition leaders labeled as foreign agents only because they had exercised their constitutional right of tabling a no-confidence motion against the PTI government.
Meanwhile, Bushra Bibi, soon after the court announced the verdict, reached the Adiala jail for surrendering before authorities so that she could spend the imprisonment period in the prison.
THE CASE
Unlike the disinformation being spread through mainstream and social media, the case filed against the couple is totally different to others.
The claim is being made that other heads of governments too have in the past received gifts from the Toshakhana and there is nothing wrong with the actions of the PTI founder during his stint as prime minister.
However, the fact is that he resorted to estimating the price of each of the items he acquired much lower than their actual market value and then selling the same first before paying the whatever little amount was paid to the state – a clear case of corruption and misuse of authority.
The prime example of this is the watch gifted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – actual value over Rs3.16 billion but the amount paid was just Rs18 million and that too after the item was sold in the market before depositing the money.
Similarly, the same practice was repeated in the case of precious jewelry and other gifts shifted to their private residence at Bani Gala.
It’s a developing story. Details to follow
