Pakistan’s prime election physique disqualifies Imran Khan from politics for five years

In a recent setback to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, Pakistan’s prime election physique on Tuesday disqualified him for 5 years following his conviction in a corruption case.

In a notification issued on Tuesday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) stated that the Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was disqualified after being discovered responsible of corrupt practices beneath Section 167 of the Elections Act, 2017 and his sentencing for 3 years.

The ECP declared Khan, 70, disqualified beneath Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution learn with Section 232 of the Elections Act, 2017.

“Therefore, Mr Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi is disqualified for a period of five years and is also de-notified as a returned candidate from constituency NA-45 Kurram-I,” said the notification, a copy of which is available with PTI.

An Islamabad trial court on Saturday sentenced Khan to three years in prison in the Toshakhana corruption case in which the embattled former prime minister is accused of profiting from selling expensive state gifts when he was in power. Khan was subsequently arrested by Punjab police from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

Earlier on Tuesday, Khan challenged his conviction in the Toshakhana corruption case in the Islamabad High Court, saying the verdict by a “biased” judge was a “slap within the face due course of and honest trial” and “a gross travesty of justice”.

Khan, who is currently lodged in the Attock Jail, appealed his conviction and the three-year prison sentence in the case by filing a plea through his lawyers at the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The petition will be taken up on Wednesday by a two-member bench.

In his petition, Khan said that the trial judge made the conclusions on the basis of a “predisposed thoughts” instead of merit of the case because the petitioner’s lawyer was not given the right of presenting arguments.

Khan’s plea stated that the judgment passed by the trial court judge was “tainted with bias, is a nullity within the eye of the regulation and is liable to be put aside”.

It stated the order was issued with out offering the petitioner with an opportunity to battle his case and alleged that Additional District and Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar had refused to listen to the arguments of Haris, Imran’s counsel within the Toshakhana case, on the pretext that he was late – which the plea claimed was as a result of he was submitting different purposes with the Supreme Court and Islamabad High Court.

Thus, the petition stated, the decision of the trial court docket was a “slap in the face due process and fair trial” and “a gross travesty of justice”.

He additionally accused that the judgment given on the conclusion of listening to had already been ready and written, which is why a 35-page verdict was issued inside half-hour of the announcement of the choice by way of a brief order.

The plea named the district election commissioner of Islamabad because the respondent within the case.

Separately, the IHC granted permission to Khan’s attorneys to fulfill him in jail because the court docket took up a petition filed by the get together in search of A-Class amenities for the ex-premier.

Khan was convicted within the case filed by the ECP final 12 months after it had disqualified him for not exhibiting the cash he acquired after promoting the presents he bought at a reduced value from Toshakhana.

The Toshakhana case says that Khan “deliberately concealed” particulars of the presents he retained from the Toshakhana, a repository the place presents handed to authorities officers from overseas officers are saved, throughout his time because the prime minister and proceeds from their reported gross sales.

Khan is accused of misusing his 2018 to 2022 premiership to purchase and promote presents in state possession that had been acquired throughout visits overseas and price greater than Rs 140 million (USD 635,000).

This is the second time in three months that Khan has been arrested.

Khan was arrested on May 9 in Islamabad from the excessive court docket’s premises within the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, sparking violent protests by his supporters.

Khan faces greater than 140 instances throughout the nation and expenses like terrorism, violence, blasphemy, corruption and homicide.

Published On:

Aug 8, 2023