Fact-check: Has govt withdrawn the Toshakhana case against Imran Khan?

Multiple Twitter posts falsely claim the government has withdrawn a petition filed against former prime minister Imran Khan for buying gifts from the state gift depository, known as the Toshakhana.

Claim

On December 27, a Twitter user claimed that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) has taken back “its application against Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case.”

The user added that this was done after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered the government to make public the records of the gifts received by all prime ministers and presidents in the country.

The tweet has 21,000 views and has been liked more than 200 times, at the time of writing.

Another Twitter user wrote: “[When] the Islamabad High Court ordered to see the record of [all] Toshakhana gifts from 1947, the imported government withdrew the Toshakhana case against Imran Khan on fear of being exposed.”

Fact

There are currently four cases, in four different courts, related to the Toshakhana scandal, and none have been filed by the incumbent government nor has any been withdrawn.

The first case, regarding the state gift depository, was filed in September 2021 in the Islamabad High Court by then government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) against journalist Rana Abrar and the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC).

The PTI wanted the PIC’s order, to publicise the details of gifts received by then prime minister Imran Khan between 2018 and 2021, declared illegal.

Proceedings in this case are still ongoing and the next date of hearing is on February 6.

The second case was filed in a district and sessions court of Islamabad in November by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against Imran Khan.

In the petition, the Commission has pleaded with the Courts to proceed against Khan for being involved in corrupt practices, for failing to disclose the gifts he bought from the Toshakhana.

The next date of hearing is on January 9.

A third case was filed in December in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) by a lawyer calling on the Court to direct the government to provide details of all the state gifts received by prime ministers and presidents from 1947 onwards.

The next date of hearing of this case has not been fixed.

A fourth case related to the Toshkhana is ongoing in the Lahore High Court (LHC) and is similar to one ongoing in the IHC.

This petition was filed by a lawyer also appealing for a record of all state gifts received by prime ministers and presidents after 1947.

The next date of hearing is on January 16.

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