Imran Khan jumped wall, escaped to neighbour's house to evade arrest in Toshkhana case

Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Monday claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan jumped his residence's wall and escaped to his neighbour's home to evade arrest.

The minister, in a press conference in Islamabad, said,''Yesterday, the team that went to arrest Khan faced a lot of drama. There are rumours that he [Khan] jumped into his neighbours' house [to hide]. After a while, he surfaced from somewhere and delivered a huge speech,'' The News reported.

Sanaullah's comments came after an Islamabad police team came to Lahore for arresting the PTI chief but without the court summons. The law enforcers returned without an arrest as the party told them that he "wasn't home", The News reported.

There was high drama in Pakistan on Sunday after a team of the police reached Imran Khan's Lahore residence to arrest him. With the police's arrival, people inside the PTI chief's residence showed resistance and did not open the doors of the house. When the police arrived, Khan's Chief of Staff Senator Shibli Faraz received the warrant for the PTI chief's arrest. Faraz informed the police that the former prime minister was not at Zaman Park but would comply with the law.

Last week the court had issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Khan and adjourned hearing on the matter till March 7. The warrant was issued after Khan repeatedly failed to appear before the court. The judge remarked that the chargesheet was to be filed today and the accused did not appear before the court despite repeated summons, hence the ruling.

What is Toshakhana case

The Toshakhana case refers to a corruption case in Pakistan involving the former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, and other government officials. Toshakhana means "treasure house" or "gift depository" in Urdu, and the case revolves around the alleged misuse of this facility.

In 2018, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of Pakistan initiated an investigation into the alleged illegal use of luxury vehicles from the Toshakhana by Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, and former President Asif Ali Zardari. The case relates to the period between 2008 and 2018, when these officials were in power.

The NAB alleges that the officials received luxury cars from foreign governments and dignitaries as gifts, but they were not declared as assets and were illegally used for personal purposes. The case has been ongoing since then, with Nawaz Sharif and other officials denying the charges and claiming that the vehicles were used for official purposes.

In 2020, a court in Pakistan convicted Nawaz Sharif and sentenced him to seven years in prison in the Toshakhana case. However, he was granted bail and has been living in London since November 2019 on medical grounds. The case remains unresolved, with ongoing legal proceedings.