Former Pakistan prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan (file photo)
Islamabad: Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has been barred from office over misleading officials about the gifts he received from foreign leaders.
He has been disqualified for five years under Article 63(i)(iii) for submitting a false statement in the Toshakhana reference case, reported The Dawn. A four-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja, announced the verdict at the ECP Secretariat in Islamabad. Legal experts said Khan will lose his seat in the National Assembly.
The case had been going on before his April 10 ouster and the election commission ruled today. It is one of the several cases being fought by Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. PTI senator Syed Ali Zafar, lawyer representing Khan, told AFP that in his opinion the election commission is not a court and cannot declare to disqualify anyone. Khan's aide Fawad Chaudhry said PTI will challenge the verdict in the high court.
According to Pakistan's rules, government officials must declare all gifts received. They can keep items below a certain value but more expensive items will go to Toshakhana, a treasure house. In some cases, recipients can buy the items back at around 50% of their value.
According to Pakistani media reports, Khan and his wife received gifts worth millions of dollars during their trips abroad. They include luxury watches, jewellery, designer handbags, and perfumes. The former PM is accused of not declaring them all to Toshakhana. It is also alleged that he sold some of them for profit.