Imran Khan Disqualified by Election Commission Of Pakistan

WebDesk:
The Election Commission of Pakistan has disqualified the former Prime Minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan. The ECP disqualified the PTI chief for five years in ToshaKhana Reference Case this Friday. 

A four-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja, announced the verdict at the ECP Secretariat in Islamabad. The decision was taken unanimously by the five-member bench. However, the member from Punjab was not present for today’s announcement.

According to the verdict, criminal proceedings will be initiated against Imran for misdeclaration.

Article 63 (1) (p) of the Constitution states that an individual is, “for the time being, disqualified from being elected or chosen as a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) or of a provincial assembly under any law for the time being in force”.

As such, Imran has been de-seated as a member of the NA and by-polls will now be held on the seat vacated following his disqualification.

While the written verdict is awaited, legal experts are widely interpreting this as Imran being disqualified till the end of the current National Assembly (NA) term.

PTI criticizes ECP ahead of the ruling

Ahead of the verdict, PTI leaders intensified their criticism of the ECP, repeating their allegations of the electoral watchdog being partial against them.

Hours before the ruling, Imran’s lawyer, Barrister Ali Zafar addressed a press conference in Islamabad and outlined legal points in favor of the PTI chief.
Alongside him, PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi cited multiple instances from the past — including the “Sindh House saga”, the ECP’s proceedings in the prohibited funding case against the PTI and the electoral watchdog expressing inability to introduce electronic voting machines — as he built his case of the electoral watchdog allegedly being partial against the PTI.

The Toshakhana case

Last year, the PIC had accepted an application by Islamabad-based journalist Rana Abrar Khalid and directed the Cabinet Division to “provide the requested information about the gifts received by [then] prime minister Imran from foreign head of states, head of governments and other foreign dignitaries … description/specification of each gift, information about the gifts retained by the PM and the Rules under which gifts thus received are retained by him”.

The Cabinet Division was told to share the required information within 10 working days and upload it on the official website as well.

Subsequently, the Cabinet Division had challenged the PIC order in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), claiming that it was “illegal, without lawful authority”. The then-government took the stance that the dis­closure of any information rela­ted to Toshakhana jeopardises international ties.

In April this year, the IHC had directed Deputy Attorney General Arshad Kayani to ensure the implementation of the PIC order to publicise details of the gifts presented to former prime minister Imran by heads of states since he assumed office in August 2018.