Pak’s Election Commission Intends To Depose Imran Khan As Chief Of PTI

Pakistan's Election Commission began the process of removing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan from office, following his disqualification in the Toshakhana case on Tuesday.

The former prime minister has been served with a notice and the case has been scheduled for hearing on 13 December, according to the Dawn newspaper, citing a top ECP official.

Khan, 70, is under investigation for purchasing gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he received as premier at a reduced price from the state depository known as Toshakhana and reselling them for a profit.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) later disqualified him under Article 63 I (p) for making “false statements and incorrect declaration.”

The gifts were purchased from the Toshakhana, the state depository established in 1974, for Rs 21.5 million on the basis of their assessed value, while they were valued at around Rs 108 million, according to ECP records.

Since the news of the Toshakhana sale broke, there have been numerous allegations and counter-allegations between Pakistan's government and the opposition.

Before allowing a recipient to keep an overseas gift, Pakistani law requires it to be deposited in the Toshakhana or treasury for valuation.

Government officials are required to report any gifts they receive, but there is a threshold below which they are not required to disclose the full value.

More significant gifts are sent to Toshakhana, but the recipient may be able to repurchase them at a 50 per cent discount.

According to PTI officials, no law prohibits convicts from becoming political party office-bearers. 

However, in 2018, a three-judge Supreme Court panel hearing petitions against the Elections Act ruled that anyone disqualified under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution could not lead a political party.

Following his disqualification by the Supreme Court under Article 62(1), the ruling paved the way for Nawaz Sharif's removal as PML-N leader (f).

On Monday, Pakistan's ousted prime minister Khan filed an appeal with the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the government's investigation into audio leaks related to the US cypher.

The LHC Registrar's Office has scheduled a hearing on Tuesday for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman's petition challenging the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) call-up notice in an investigation into an audio leak involving the US cypher controversy.

The cypher controversy revolves around alleged audio leaks of Khan attempting to buy the loyalty of lawmakers while also justifying his actions prior to his ouster in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April.

Khan claimed that he was the target of a US-led conspiracy because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan.

The former cricketer-turned-politician, who took office in 2018, is Pakistan's only Prime Minister to have been deposed in a no-confidence vote in Parliament.