Toshakhana case: court reverses seizure of Nawaz Sharif’s property

ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, an accountability court in Islamabad has ordered to reverse the property confiscation order pertaining to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif in the Tosha Khana reference.

Accountability Court Judge Judge Muhammad Bashir issued a directive to return the seized property and assets to the former prime minister.

The court ordered to return seized properties, vehicles and bank accounts belonging to Nawaz Sharif.

This decision marks a notable shift in a legal saga that dates back to October 2020 when the accountability court initially issued orders for the confiscation of Nawaz Sharif’s properties.

At the time, the court had declared Nawaz Sharif a fugitive in the Toshakhana reference, which led to the seizure of over 1650 kanals of agricultural land and high-end vehicles owned by him in Lahore.

The Toshakhana reference is a corruption case against Nawaz Sharif and other political leaders, who are accused of illegally obtaining and selling gifts from foreign dignitaries that were deposited in the Toshakhana, a treasury department that collects and keeps such gifts.

According to the rules, the recipients of the gifts have to pay a certain amount to the government if they want to retain them, otherwise they have to surrender them to the Toshakhana.

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The case was filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in 2020, alleging that Nawaz Sharif and others had violated the rules and obtained the gifts without paying the required amount, and then sold them for personal gain. The gifts included expensive vehicles, watches, jewellery, and land12

The accountability court in Islamabad had declared Nawaz Sharif a fugitive in the Toshakhana reference case in October 2020, as he had failed to appear before the court despite repeated summons. The court had also issued orders for the confiscation of his properties, vehicles, and bank accounts in Pakistan

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