The arrest of the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), according to the US, is a “internal matter” of Pakistan.
PTI chairman’s arrest is internal matter of Pakistan: The cases against the PTI chairman and other politicians are a matter for Pakistan’s internal politics, according to Mathew Miller, a spokesperson for the State Department.
According to Mathew Miller, the US consistently emphasises adherence to the rule of law and support for democratic values.
The response came after a local court on Saturday sentenced the PTI chairman to three years in prison and a Rs. 100,000 punishment in the Toshakhana case. This decision would alter the political climate of the nation as it prepares for general elections.
The court announced the brief judgement, imposing a five-year ban on him holding any office, and stated that it would release the full decision later.
The PTI leader was then sent to the Central Jail attock.
Toshakhana allusion
After the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified the PTI chief for making “false statements and incorrect declarations,” the Toshakhana issue became a significant source of contention in national politics.
Legislators from the ruling coalition filed the reference, which claims Imran failed to disclose information about the gifts he received from the Toshaskhana (during his tenure as prime minister), last year.
The ruling deemed the former premier to have engaged in corrupt practices, citing provisions 167 and 173 of the constitution. He will be subject to a criminal investigation for filing a fraudulent statement.
Imran was charged with a crime on May 10 after the court denied his petition to have the Toshakhana case dismissed. On July 4, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) overruled the aforementioned decision.
A district and sessions court in Islamabad had deemed the Toshakhana case against Imran to be maintainable on July 8. The former premier then appealed the session court’s decision to the IHC.
The session court ruled the Toshakhana referral against the PTI chairman as maintainable on August 4, but the Islamabad High Court overturned that decision on the same day.
However, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq instructed the lower court to rehear the matter. The PTI chairman Imran Khan’s request to have the case transferred to a different court was also denied by the court, which also set next week’s hearing for the request to reinstate the right to a defence.