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Pakistan's election authority disqualifies ex-PM Imran Khan

The Election Commission of Pakistan disqualifies Khan from holding public office because he unlawfully sold state gifts given to him by other countries when he was in power.

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According to legal experts, Khan will lose his seat in the National Assembly under the verdict of the Election Commission.

Pakistan’s elections commission has disqualified former prime Minister Imran Khan from holding public office for five years, accusing him of unlawfully selling state gifts and concealing assets.

Khan's spokesperson, Fawad Chaudhry, told reporters on Friday that the Election Commission of Pakistan announced the much-awaited verdict in the capital Islamabad.

Chaudhry condemned the move and urged Khan's supporters to protest publicly.

According to legal experts, the verdict of the election commission will cost Khan his seat in the National Assembly, which is the lower house of the Parliament and also bars him from holding public office for five years.

The latest decision comes months after the parliament ousted Khan through a no-confidence vote.

Balkh Ser Khosa, a prominent lawyer, said the commission disqualified Khan from holding public office because he unlawfully sold state gifts given to him by other countries when he was in power.

He said Khan also hid the profits he earned from those sales from tax authorities.

Election commission of Pakistan has found Imran Khan guilty of corrupt practices. He now stands disqualified. He who would spread lies about alleged corruption of his political opponents has been caught red handed.
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) October 21, 2022

Khan supporters protest

Angered over Khan's disqualification, his Tehreek-e-Insaf party urged supporters to take to the streets to peacefully condemn the commission’s decision, which Khan's party was expecting.

Dozens of Khan's supporters were seen chanting slogans against the government and authorities at the Election Commission.

Hundreds of others blocked a key road in the northwestern city of Peshawar, disrupting traffic. Khan's supporters were also holding small rallies in major cities in the country.

Khan's hundreds of supporters briefly clashed with police in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

However, the demonstrators dispersed when police swung batons and fired tear gas shells, according to local media reports. The government deployed additional security forces in Islamabad to maintain law and order.

Shortly after Khan's disqualification, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari wrote of Khan on Twitter: “He who would spread lies about alleged corruption of his political opponents has been caught red-handed.”