Pakistan’s election commission (ECP), in a unanimous decision, has found former Prime Minister Imran Khan guilty of “corrupt practices” and disqualified him from being a member of parliament.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party immediately rejected Friday’s ruling and called on supporters to take to the streets.
Faisal Fareed Chaudhry, part of the PTI’s legal team, told Al Jazeera they were awaiting the detailed verdict before filing an appeal to the Islamabad High Court. He also said they planned to question the commission’s scope to deliver such a verdict. “We will challenge their jurisdiction, their mandate in issuing this decision,” he said.
The case against Khan was filed in August by a member of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN), contending that the former prime minister had bought gifts given by foreign dignitaries from the state gift depository (also called Toshakhana) but did not disclose the assets in declarations submitted to the commission, Al Jazeera reported.
Khan, who was removed from his office in April through a parliamentary vote of no confidence, has accused the commission of bias, and has singled out its chief, Sikandar Sultan Raja, of prejudice against him and his party.
After the removal of his government, Khan has been holding rallies across the country, demanding early polls. His narrative has won him large swaths of support, as the PTI won big in by-elections which took place in July and October.
