The fight is on, will challenge verdict: Imran

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI/LAHORE: PTI Chairman Imran Khan Friday asked his supporters to call off their protest and announced that he will approach the court against the Election Commission’s verdict against him in the Toshakhana reference. In a video message that was released after he chaired a marathon party meeting to review options after the ECP verdict, Imran thanked his supporters for pouring onto the streets for expressing solidarity with him.

He again alleged that the mafia was trying to eliminate Pakistan’s largest party, as on May 25, innocent citizens were tortured and terror cases were filed against him and Shahbaz Gill. The former premier said he already knew about the decision in the reference and had told his party members at night that the ECP would disqualify him and in the morning, he told all the members on WhatsApp.

“Whatever I have is to fight these thieves. The Election Commission is part of the mafia. As long as I am alive, I will fight them on,” he said and accused Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja of being biased.

“If the prime minister and ministers get gifts, then these gifts go to Toshakhana and they can buy them at half the price under the law,” he said. He said the ruling coalition was attempting to ‘silence’ him. However, he vowed to fight the ‘thieves’ until his last breath. He urged his supporters to end their demonstrations because people were in difficulty.

At the same time, he urged them to gear up for the party’s planned long march. “I had said I will hold a long march by the end of the month. I will hold the biggest protest. My movement for real freedom will continue until supremacy of the law. Pakistan is at a decisive moment. Allah wants us to rise against these thieves. We can’t get rid of them until we prepare to struggle against them,” he contended. Imran at the end said he will give the call for the long march.

Lashing out at the PMLN Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Zardari, Imran alleged that ‘the law of Toshakhana was broken by these two’. Imran said the cipher still existed, which was used to topple his [Imran’s] government.

Alleging that efforts were being made to portray him like Nawaz Sharif, Imran said the courts had declared him ‘Sadiq and Ameen’. He criticised Pakistan’s other political parties for reducing themselves to “family parties”.

In his message, Imran expressed his annoyance at being brought to the level of Nawaz Sharif and said, “Nawaz Sharif is a thief. His children possess big palaces.” Commenting on the legitimacy of his property, the former prime minister said he used to play cricket and had bought a flat 34 years ago. “I bought the flat with halal (lawful) money. I sold it and brought the money to Pakistan,” he said.

Talking about the chaos on the roads and streets after the ECP verdict, Imran asked “what happened when East Pakistan was separated from us?” Meanwhile, the PTI leadership rejected the verdict and said the people of Pakistan were with Imran Khan.

Talking to the media, PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said, “Today we all say we do not accept the minus-one formula. The people of Pakistan are with Imran Khan, as they had rejected the current rulers on July 17.”

PTI Senior Vice President and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry said the ECP’s decision was wrong as it could not de-seat Imran Khan.

PTI leader Asad Umar said the party will take the disqualification issue to the High Court and this verdict will not even stand for a few hours.

Shahbaz Gill said the ECP verdict had been written by PMLN Quaid Nawaz Sharif. He said the verdict had been signed by the “personal servant” of Nawaz Sharif and people rejected it.

Registering his protest, Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said they stood with their leader Imran Khan and reject his disqualification.

The chief minister asserted that disqualifying the most popular leader of Pakistan was a cruel joke with the nation.

“We stand by our leader and will continue to stand,” he added. Former federal minister Moonis Elahi said disqualifying the most popular leader of Pakistan was a cruel joke with the nation. “The nation will not accept any decision to disqualify Imran Khan,” he said and termed it a massacre of justice.

“The ‘captain’ is victorious and will remain so. The ‘captain’ was ‘Sadiq’ and ‘Ameen’ yesterday and is still today. The decision of the Election Commission is a mockery of the Constitution and the law,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, PTI Senator and Imran Khan’s counsel in the Toshakhana case Barrister Ali Zafar told reporters that the verdict was unconstitutional and unlawful, as all gifts were paid for and declared on June 30.

“The gifts were also declared in the income tax returns. The gifts which were sold and the proceeds of sale and bank accounts were disclosed in the statement of assets as well as the income tax returns,” Zafar said.

He said the capital gain tax on the sale of gifts was also paid. Zafar said the reference was sent under Article 62(1) (f) adding that the Election Commission was not a court of law and hence it could not disqualify anyone under the article.

“The ECP has relied on Article 63 (1) (p) under which one must be disqualified under any law before the reference is sent and does not give jurisdiction to the ECP to decide any issue of disqualification. The ECP has relied on Sections 137 167 and 173 of the Elections Act. These sections say that the ECP can file a complaint in case of any mis-declaration before tribunal within 120 days of filing of statement. But it does not say that the ECP can de-seat or disqualify,” he argued.