District Election Commissioner's statement recorded in Toshakhana case
Pakistan
District Election Commissioner's statement recorded in Toshakhana case.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The statement of the District Election Commissioner was recorded in the criminal proceedings against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan in a case pertaining to Toshakhana reference against him.
Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal heard the Toshakhana reference. While the District Election Commissioner Waqas Malik appeared in the court and submitted an affidavit.
He said that he has been given the authority to follow the Election Commission’s decision of November 21. Section 190 of the Election Act has been given the authority to take action in conjunction with 167 and 173, these actions are related to the corrupt practices of Imran Khan, the Election Commission has the authority to look into the disqualification of the member assembly on the basis of reference.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal adjourned the hearing till December 8 after recording the statement of the District Election Commissioner during the hearing of the Toshakhana case.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified former prime minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana reference filed against him.
A four-member commission of the ECP had unanimously ruled that Imran Khan was involved in corrupt practices, so that a legal action will be initiated against him.
"Imran Khan is no longer a member of the National Assembly, his seat is declared vacant," said the ruling.
The Toshakhana 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 Khan, 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.
