The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday, 21 October, disqualified the former Prime Minister Imran Khan for five years over a case related to allegedly hiding proceeds from the sale of gifts he received from foreign leaders, reported news agency PTI.
The action against Khan comes after the ruling government filed a case against Khan with the Election Commission in August, seeking his disqualification for failing to reveal the proceeds from the sale of gifts that he purchased at a discounted price from the state repository, also called Toshakhana.
In the wake of the ruling, Khan, who is the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), will not be able to become a member of the parliament for five years, the report added.
The four-member bench of ECP also said that action would be taken against him under the corrupt practices laws.
Secretary General of PTI, Asad Umar, however, said that ECP's decision would be challenged in the Islamabad High Court.
Khan allegedly received expensive gifts from Arab rulers during official visits an the PM of Pakistan. These gifts were deposited in the Toshakhana. Later he bought the same at a discounted price as per the relevant laws and sold the same at hefty profits, the report added.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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