IHC serves pre-admission notice to Imran Khan in disqualification case

ISLAMABAD: The IHC served a pre-admission notice to PTI Chairman Imran Khan to decide whether or not to admit the petition seeking his disqualification for concealing information about his alleged daughter Tyrian Jade White.

The PTI chairman has been directed to submit his response within two weeks after the issuance of the notice.

Besides Imran Khan, pre-admission notices were issued to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the federal government on a petition filed by a citizen named Mohammad Sajid. IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq will hear the petition.

The court had last month reserved its verdict on the maintainability of the plea — which sought the PTI chief's disqualification for concealing his alleged daughter in the nomination papers.

The court has asked all three parties — Khan, the ECP and the Centre — in the case to submit their response in regard to the maintainability of the petition.

According to the petitioner, the former prime minister’s daughter is residing in the UK, for whose guardianship he made appropriate arrangements but hid the information about her in the nomination papers and affidavit.

The petitioner further said the PTI chief is aware that there is evidence against him.

He claimed that in the past, he would deny that Tyrian is his daughter and now he does not answer pertaining to this.

The petitioner said Khan cannot hold any public office or party head post. He said Khan should be asked why Article 62(1-F) should not be applied to him, adding that the PTI chief should be disqualified for not being "Sadiq and Ameen" (honest and righteous).

A similar case was filed in the IHC in 2018 by a citizen named Abdul Wahab Baloch seeking former prime Khan's disqualification for concealing information about White.

However, then-IHC CJ Athar Minallah — who has now been elevated to the Supreme Court — dismissed the plea after the petitioner withdrew it in 2021.