Toshakhana case: Election Commission of Pakistan disqualifies Imran Khan in gifts case

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Friday disqualified former PM Imran Khan from political office on charges he misled officials about gifts he received from foreign leaders while in power.
Imran Khan has been disqualified for five years under Article 63(i)(iii) for submitting a false statement in the Toshakhana reference case, the Dawn reported.
A four-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja, announced the verdict at the ECP Secretariat in Islamabad, the Dawn said.
According to legal experts, Imran Khan will lose his seat in the National Assembly after the verdict of the Election Commission.

Imran Khan's aide Fawad Chaudhry said that his party PTI will challenge the verdict of Election Commission in the high court.
Khan, who came to power in 2018, apparently received expensive gifts from rich Arab rulers during official visits, which 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.
Government officials must declare all gifts, but are allowed to keep those below a certain value.

More expensive items must go to Toshakhana, but in some cases the recipient can buy them back at around 50 percent of their value -- a discount Khan raised from 20 percent while in office. They included luxury watches, jewellery, designer handbags and perfumes.
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.
While Fawad Chaudhry reacted strongly against Imran's disqualification, Pakistan Muslim League (N) vice-president Maryam Nawaz demanded the former Pakistan PM's arrest.
"The Election Commission’s attitude had been the worst. We never pinned any hopes on it. This is a shameful decision. They have disgraced the 220-million-strong-nation," PTI's Chaudhry said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said, "He who would spread lies about alleged corruption of his political opponents has been caught red-handed."

(With inputs from agencies)
Watch Toshakhana case: Pakistan Election Commission disqualifies Imran Khan in gifts case