Protests erupt in Pakistan after ex-PM Imran Khan disqualified from holding public office
Khan unlawfully sold state gifts and concealed money he had received from their sale
Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has been barred from holding public office for five years by the country’s Election Commission after he was found guilty of “corrupt practices”, in a move that has led to massive protests in the country.
According to a unanimous decision by the five-member bench, criminal proceedings will be initiated against Mr Khan for unlawfully selling state gifts he received during his time as prime minister and for misdeclaration of assets.
Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party rejected Friday’s ruling, and its members said they were prepared to challenge the ruling in the Islamabad High Court.
The lawyer acting for the former international cricketer said the Election Commission has no jurisdiction in the matter.
Mr Khan is expected to lose his seat in the National Assembly following the verdict, and will remain disqualified till the end of the current term.
The decision was another political blow to Mr Khan’s ambitions, as he was expected to announce a massive rally in Islamabad to force prime minister Shahbaz Sharif’s government to hold snap general elections after he was ousted following a rebellion in his cabinet.
Mr Sharif’s coalition government, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, filed a case against Mr Khan with the Election Commission in August, alleging that Mr Khan had sold gifts from the gift depository, known as Toshakhana, and had failed to share the proceeds from their alleged sale.
Toshakhana is a government department, under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division, that stores valuable gifts received by the country’s leaders, parliamentarians and bureaucrats.
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, the country’s former information minister, denounced the decision, calling it “embarrassing” and a “slap in the face” for the people of the country.
“This verdict is not an attack on Imran Khan only. It is an attack on Pakistan’s constitution and its people,” he said.
Hundreds of Mr Khan’s supporters protested against the ruling government and the Election Commission following the verdict.
Protests broke out in parts of Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi, with some supporters blocking roads, burning tyres and chanting slogans against the ruling government.
A number of PTI workers were seen attempting to climb the gate to enter the commission’s head office.
Another PTI member, Shahbaz Gill, said the party will appeal at “every forum” against the verdict. “Imran has been disqualified from just one seat, not politics,” he added.
Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari wrote on Twitter: “He [Mr Khan] who would spread lies about the alleged corruption of his political opponents has been caught red-handed.”
Pakistan has been dealing with lingering political turmoil in the months since Mr Khan was ousted as prime minister. He is the first prime minister in the history of the country to have been deposed through a no-confidence motion in parliament.
Since then, Mr Khan has been aggressively campaigning against the government, demanding fresh elections, and blaming a US-backed conspiracy behind his ousting, an accusation denied by both Washington and Mr Sharif.
Last month, Mr Khan admitted to selling at least four gifts that he had received during his tenure as prime minister, and said this was done through proper legal channels.
These gifts included Rolex watches, a ring and a pair of cufflinks.
Mr Khan had previously said he had not made public some gifts, for reasons to do with national security, but admitted buying items worth Rs22m (£238,000) in a written submission, and to selling them at double the price.
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