[ad_1]
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Election Commission on Tuesday initiated the process to remove PTI chief Imran Khan from his post following his disqualification in the Toshakhana case.
A notice has been issued to the former PM and the case has been fixed for hearing on December 13, Dawn newspaper reported, quoting a top ECP official. Khan,70, is in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit.
He was later disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) under Article 63 for making “false statements and incorrect declaration”. As per the ECP records, the gifts were bought from the Toshakhanafor Rs 21. 5 million on the basis of their assessed value, while they were valued at around Rs 108 million.
According to Pakistani law, overseas presents need to be deposited in the Toshakhana for valuation before allowing a recipient to keep it. Officials in the government are required to report any gifts they get, but they have a threshold below which they don’t have to disclose the full value. Larger gifts are sent to Toshakhana, although the recipient may be able to buy them back at a discount of up to 50%. PTI officials said no law bars a convict from becoming an office-bearer of a party. In 2018, however, Pakistan’s Supreme Court, while hearing petitions against the Elections Act, ruled that a person disqualified under Articles 62 and 63 of the constitution could not head a political party.
A notice has been issued to the former PM and the case has been fixed for hearing on December 13, Dawn newspaper reported, quoting a top ECP official. Khan,70, is in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit.
He was later disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) under Article 63 for making “false statements and incorrect declaration”. As per the ECP records, the gifts were bought from the Toshakhanafor Rs 21. 5 million on the basis of their assessed value, while they were valued at around Rs 108 million.
According to Pakistani law, overseas presents need to be deposited in the Toshakhana for valuation before allowing a recipient to keep it. Officials in the government are required to report any gifts they get, but they have a threshold below which they don’t have to disclose the full value. Larger gifts are sent to Toshakhana, although the recipient may be able to buy them back at a discount of up to 50%. PTI officials said no law bars a convict from becoming an office-bearer of a party. In 2018, however, Pakistan’s Supreme Court, while hearing petitions against the Elections Act, ruled that a person disqualified under Articles 62 and 63 of the constitution could not head a political party.
[ad_2]
Source link
Comments are closed.