ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will announce its verdict in the Toshakhana reference filed against former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday (tomorrow).
According to a notice issued by the ECP, the reference related to the disqualification of Imran Khan, filed by MNA Ali Gohar khan and five others under Article 63 of the Constitution, has been fixed for the announcement of the order on Friday, October 21, at 2pm.
The election commission directed all the concerned parties to appear in person or through counsels before the electoral watchdog at its secretariat tomorrow.
On September 19, the ECP reserved its verdict in the Toshakhana case filed against former prime minister Khan following months of hearings. After hearing arguments, a five-member bench of the ECP, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, reserved its ruling.
In August 2022, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf sent a reference to the ECP under Articles 62A, 63A and 223, seeking Khan’s disqualification in the light of the Toshakhana scam.
The disqualification reference was filed by Ali Gohar Khan, PMLN’s Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha, and five others.
The 28-page reference identified 52 gift items of Toshakhana received by former prime minister Imran, violating the law and rules, taken away at nominal prices and most of the gifts were sold in the market, including some precious watches.
The assessed value of the gifts has been put at Rs 142,042,100. The gifts were received between August 2018 and December 2021.
According to PML-N MNA Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha, Imran Khan concealed information about the gift of watches by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in his statement of assets submitted in 2018-2019.
This withholding of information is tantamount to lying which, according to MNA Mohsin Ranjha, is a crime under Section 137 declaring that Imran Khan is no more Sadiq and Ameen, slapping disqualification for life from contesting the election under Article 62(1)(f), Article 2, Article 3 of the Constitution.
Article 62(1)(f) is the same legal instrument that disqualified former PM Nawaz Sharif from contesting elections and led to his removal from power, Ranjha said.
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