Pakistan’s Imran Khan disqualified from office for hiding assets
- Election Commission said Khan committed ‘corrupt practices’ and didn’t properly disclose money earned from selling gifts given by foreign dignitaries
- Khan is flush from a sweeping victory in recent bypolls where he won six out of seven seats in a display of his popular appeal, will appeal the order
Pakistan’s former prime minister, Imran Khan, was disqualified as a lawmaker and barred from holding public office after the country’s Election Commission found him guilty of hiding his assets. Khan will challenge the order in court.
The commission’s five-member panel headed by chairman Sikandar Sultan Raja on Friday issued its order after the case was referred to it by the speaker of the lower house of parliament, state-run Pakistan Television reported. Khan’s spokesman said the ex-cricket star will appeal the order.
The election body said in its statement that Khan committed “corrupt practices” and didn’t properly disclose the money he earned from selling gifts given to him by various foreign dignitaries, GEO TV reported. Pakistani law does not bar lawmakers from selling such gifts but hiding the transactions is illegal.
The Election Commission also ordered the government to start criminal proceedings against Khan for making a false statement to the agency regarding his assets, state-TV reported. The government has not commented on the matter so far.
If the court endorses the ruling it would be an abrupt end to Khan’s often turbulent political career that began when he was elected to parliament in 2002.
The nation’s benchmark KSE-100 Index extended declines to 0.8 per cent, the most in three weeks, after the verdict, before paring losses to 0.4 per cent.
Friday’s order will fuel more political uncertainty in Pakistan as Khan has already warned that he will lead his supporters in a march to capital Islamabad to push his demand for early elections. The turmoil comes as the South Asian nation grapples with an economy that is in disrepair.
The former leader has been on streets for the past six months calling for early elections and targeting state institutions including the powerful army, claiming, without proof that it colluded with the US and his political opponents led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to oust him in April. All three reject the allegation.
Khan is currently flush from a sweeping victory in recent bypolls where he won six out of seven seats he personally contested in a display of his popular appeal. The former cricket star has been holding packed public rallies across Pakistan.
