Former prime minister Imran Khan petitioned the Supreme Court on Monday to accelerate the hearing of an appeal over the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) disqualification of him in the Toshakhana case.
The PTI founder’s attorney, Barrister Ali Zafar, has filed a plea for an early hearing of the appeal against the disqualification of the former premier.
The petitioner, a former prime minister and head of the biggest political party (PTI), is said to be facing continuous challenges to his position as party chairman as a result of the election watchdog’s disqualification.
The petition further said that lawsuits contesting the rulings of the ECP are presently ongoing in the High Courts of Islamabad and Lahore, with the proceedings on hold because of a connected matter before the Supreme Court.
The petitioner said that because of the ongoing appeal, these legal difficulties prohibit him from serving as the chairman of the PTI, a member of the legislature, and from taking part in the by-elections.
Imran Khan contested the ECP’s decision to disqualify him for five years for failing to disclose gifts from Toshakhana in his statement of assets and liabilities in December of last year in the Lahore High Court (LHC).
Khan said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has less authority to determine whether a member is qualified or disqualified due to a conviction in court as a result of recent changes made to the Elections Act 2017.
Rather than providing free and fair elections, he charged that the ECP acted in haste and with unconstitutional zeal to keep him out of the general elections scheduled for February 8.
Imran Khan was found guilty in a brief 30-minute trial on August 5, 2023, and given a sentence of three years in jail and a fine of Rs. 100,000. The Islamabad High Court later stayed the verdict.
