Punjab Assembly to condemn Imran Khan's disqualification today

The Punjab Assembly has called a special meeting in the current session after the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

A special session of the Punjab Assembly has been called today following the disqualification of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Geo News reported on Saturday.

Speaker Punjab Assembly Sibtain Khan summoned the special meeting of the current session of the provincial assembly today.

A resolution of condemnation will be tabled before the house over Imran Khan's disqualification by the Election Commission of Pakistan in the Toshakhana case.

Imran Khan disqualified in Toshakahan case

The ECP, in a consensus verdict in the Toshakana reference on Friday, disqualified Imran Khan and ruled that he is no longer a member of the National Assembly. The election commission directed criminal proceedings to be initiated against Imran for misdeclaration.

The ECP ruled that Imran Khan submitted a false affidavit and was found involved in corrupt practices under Article 63(1)(p).

The ECP had reserved its verdict in the Toshakhana case on September 19 after arguments were completed from both sides. A five-member bench of the ECP, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, heard the case.

In August 2022, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf sent a reference to the ECP under Articles 62A, 63A, and 223, seeking former prime minister Imran Khan’s disqualification in the light of the Toshakhana scam.

The disqualification reference was filed by Ali Gohar Khan, PML-N’s Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha, and five others.

The 28-page reference identified 52 gift items of Toshakhana received by the former prime minister, 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 Ranjha, 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 Ranjha, is a crime under Section 137. He thus said that Khan was no more Sadiq and Ameen and should be slapped with 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.