The Toshakhana case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, took another turn on Monday as the accountability court judge terminated their right to cross-examine witnesses.
The court, presided over by Judge Muhammad Bashir in Adiala Jail, while terminating the right to cross-examine for the lawyers representing the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi, will tomorrow record the statements of both the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi.
At the outset of the hearing, Khan, the former prime minister and founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has requested a change of lawyer multiple times throughout the case, currently represented by Zaheer Abbas. However, the prosecution argues that these repeated requests are merely delay tactics, hindering the progress of the trial.
NAB lawyer Amjad Parvez expressed concern over the continuous change of lawyers, alleging that such tactics were employed to deliberately delay the case. He accused the defense of using delaying strategies, pointing out that witnesses had appeared in court multiple times without being cross-examined.
In the Toshakhana case, only five witnesses were examined by the defense, while the prosecution recorded statements from 16 witnesses. Notably, NAB rejected four witnesses out of the total 20 in the case.
Adding a political twist to the legal proceedings, Shehbaz Khosa, son of former Punjab Chief Minister Dost Muhammad Khosa, appeared for interrogation after temporarily leaving his father's election campaign.
He announced his intention to challenge the decision to terminate the right of cross-examination in the Islamabad High Court, indicating that the legal battle continues to unfold with political implications.
