ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday reserved its verdicts in violation of election’s code of conduct (CoC) case while will announce it verdict already reserved in Toshakhana disqualification reference against former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday (today) at 2pm.
Former prime minister had violated the election’s code during a by-election campaign at Charsadda in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A three-member ECP bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, heard the case.
Barrister Gohar, representing PTI chairman in the case, said that an advisory had been issued to the KP chief minister and provincial cabinet ministers about not participating in election rallies. “But no such advisory was issued to Imran,” he clarified.
He further said there was an allegation against his client that he had wasted money from the national exchequer on the campaign. “But truth of the matter is that he did not spend a penny from the exchequer,” he asserted.
During the hearing, the CEC asked where in the constitution it was written that a person who was already a member of the National Assembly (MNA) could again contest for NA seat.
Addressing the PTI’s lawyer Barrister Gohar, he asked as to where were the resignations of those 150 MNAs, which PTI chairman always referred to in his speeches. “Bring those 150 resignations; we will accept them right now,” he said.
Barrister replied that the remaining resignations were with the secretary National Assembly, and these had not been sent to the ECP.
The ECP Special Secretary said that the former prime minister had the right to hold public meetings since no advisory had been issued to him.
TOSHAKHANA DISQUALIFICATION REFERENCE
The ECP will announce its verdict in the Toshakhana disqualification reference filed against former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday (today) at 2pm.
According to a notice issued on Thursday, ECP ordered all the relevant parties or their counsels to appear before the electoral watchdog at its secretariat in Islamabad.
The ECP had reserved its verdict in the case on September 19. The reference was filed against the PTI chairman by the coalition government, for “not sharing details” of Toshakhana gifts and proceeds from their alleged sale.
Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.
According to Toshakhana rules, gifts/presents and other such materials received by persons to whom these rules apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division.
However, the PTI, while in government, had been reluctant to disclose details of the gifts presented to Imran Khan since he assumed office in 2018, maintaining that doing so would jeopardise international ties, even as the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) ordered it to do so.
On August 4, lawmakers from the Pakistan Democratic Movement — which is part of the ruling alliance — filed a reference for the PTI chief’s disqualification from public office under articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution over his hesitance to share the details of Toshakhana gifts.
They submitted the reference to the National Assembly speaker who subsequently forwarded it to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja for further action.
In its hearing on Aug 29, the ECP had sought a written reply from Imran by Sep 8. In his reply, the PTI chief had admitted to having sold at least four presents he had received during his tenure as the prime minister of Pakistan.
The former premier, in his reply, maintained that the sale of the gifts that he had procured from the state treasury after paying Rs21.56 million fetched about Rs58m. One of the gifts included a graff wristwatch, a pair of cuff links, an expensive pen and a ring while the other three gifts included four Rolex watches.
