Pakistan’s former PM Imran Khan disqualified by election commission

Pakistan's elections commission disqualified Khan from holding public office for five years, accusing him of unlawfully selling state gifts and concealing assets.

Pakistan’s elections commission on Friday disqualified former Prime Minister Imran Khan from holding public office for five years, accusing him of unlawfully selling state gifts and concealing assets, his spokesman and officials said. The move is likely to deepen lingering political turmoil in the impoverished country.

Fawad Chaudhry told reporters 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.

Officials and legal experts said Khan will lose his National Assembly seat under the verdict. 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.

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

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 Friday. 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.

Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar confirmed that the commission found Khan guilty of the charges. Tarar said Khan has been disqualified from holding public office for five years.