The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Tuesday announced the disqualification of former prime minister Imran Khan for a five-year period.
The decision follows his conviction in the Toshakhana case last week, where an Islamabad trial court sentenced him to three years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs100,000 in absentia.
Imran Khan was found guilty of deliberately concealing details of gifts received from the Toshakhana, a repository for presents given to government officials by foreign dignitaries during his time as prime minister.
The trial court’s verdict deemed Imran Khan’s actions as “corrupt practices” due to his intentional and willful hiding of the benefits obtained from the national exchequer. Consequently, Punjab police arrested Imran Khan at his residence in Lahore following the court’s decision.
In a notification issued today, the ECP referred to the court order and invoked Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution read in conjunction with Section 232 of the Elections Act, 2017, to disqualify Imran Khan. The notification also de-notified him as a returned candidate from constituency NA-45 Kurram-I.
In response to the trial court’s verdict, Imran Khan filed a petition through his lawyers in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The petition challenges the credibility of the court’s order and is set to be reviewed tomorrow by a two-member bench consisting of IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri.
The Toshakhana case, originally filed by lawmakers from the ruling party, alleged that Imran Khan intentionally concealed details of gifts he retained from the Toshakhana during his tenure as prime minister. The gifts were given to government officials by foreign dignitaries, and according to Toshakhana rules, these gifts are required to be reported to the Cabinet Division.
This is not the first time Imran Khan has faced legal challenges related to gift retention. On October 21, 2022, the ECP ruled that he had provided false statements and incorrect declarations regarding the gifts. As a result, Imran Khan was previously disqualified by the ECP under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution.
The ECP subsequently took the case to the Islamabad sessions court, seeking criminal proceedings against Imran Khan for misleading officials about the gifts he received from foreign dignitaries during his tenure.
After a series of legal maneuvers, including a stay order from the Islamabad High Court, the case culminated in the trial court ruling that the reference was maintainable and resuming the proceedings.
