Toshakhana Case: Pakistan Election Commission Disqualifies Ex-PM Imran Khan From Parliament

The Election Commission of Pakistan has disqualified former Prime Minister Imran Khan from Parliament in the Toshkhana case.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. ( Image Source :Instagram )

Pakistan’s election authorities on Friday disqualified Imran Khan from Parliament for five years for submitting a false statement in the Toshakhana case.

A four-member bench, headed by Pakistan's Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja, announced the verdict at the ECP Secretariat in Islamabad, reported Dawn. According to the verdict, criminal proceedings will be initiated against Imran Khan for misdeclaration, the report added.

The ruling coalition government lawmakers filed a case with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in August against Khan, seeking his disqualification for failing to reveal the proceeds from the sale of gifts that he purchased at a discounted price from the state repository, also called Toshakhana.

The ECP, after hearing the case, reserved its judgment on September 19 at the conclusion of the proceedings.

The Election Commission ordered all the relevant parties or their counsels to appear before the electoral watchdog at its secretariat in Islamabad.

It also sent a letter to the Islamabad police requesting “foolproof security” inside and outside the watchdog’s premises for the full day in order to “avoid any untoward incident”, stressing that all necessary security arrangements be completed, particularly inside the ECP Secretariat building.

Imran Khan, who came to power in 2018, apparently received expensive gifts from rich Arab rulers during official visits, which were deposited in the Toshakhana. Later he bought the same at a discounted price as per the relevant laws and sold the same at hefty profits.

The former premier informed the ECP during the hearing that the sale of the gifts that he had procured from the state treasury after paying Rs 21.56 million fetched about Rs 58 million.

The gifts, among others, included a Graff wristwatch, a pair of cufflinks, an expensive pen, a ring and four Rolex watches. According to his opponents, Khan failed to show the sales in the income tax returns, making him liable.

The case filed with the ECP sought his disqualification under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution which suggests disqualification if someone is not truthful.

Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.