The four-member bench announced the verdict against Khan at the ECP secretariat in Islamabad.
The four-member bench announced the verdict against Khan at the ECP secretariat in Islamabad.
The Election Commission of Pakistan on October 21, 2022 disqualified former Prime Minister Imran Khan for five years in the Toshakhana case for hiding proceeds from the sale of gifts received from foreign leaders.
After this decision, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) cannot become a member of Parliament for five years.
Lawmakers from the ruling coalition government filed a case against the 70-year-old Khan in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in August, seeking to disqualify him for failing to disclose proceeds from the sale of gifts. , which he had bought at a discounted price. State Store, also known as Toshakhana.
The ECP had reserved its decision on the conclusion of the proceedings on September 19 after hearing the matter.
A four-member ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja on Friday unanimously ruled that Khan was involved in corrupt practices and disqualified him as a member of parliament.
The ECP also announced that action would be taken against them under the corrupt practices laws.
Khan’s party general secretary Asad Umar announced that the decision would be challenged in the Islamabad High Court.
Another PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry overruled the decision and asked Khan’s followers to protest.
Mr Khan, who came to power in 2018, apparently received expensive gifts from wealthy Arab rulers during official visits, which were deposited in Toshakhana. Later he bought it at a discounted price as per the relevant laws and sold it at a huge profit.
Although morally apprehensive for rulers like Khan, who always took a high moral ground and left no chance to dismiss their opponents as “corrupt”, buying and selling was legally permitted.
During the hearing, the former prime minister told the ECP that around Rs 58 lakh was received by paying Rs 21.56 crore from the sale of gifts purchased from the state treasury.
Gifts included a Graf wristwatch, a pair of cufflinks, an expensive pen, a ring, and four Rolex watches.
According to his detractors, Khan failed to show the sale in the income tax return, making him liable.
The case filed with the ECP seeks their disqualification under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution which suggest disqualification if someone is not true.
Established in 1974, Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats and officials by other governments and heads of states and foreign dignitaries.