NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was on Friday disqualified from running for political office for five years by its election commission for hiding proceeds from the sale of gifts he received from foreign leaders while in power.
It means the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman cannot become a member of Parliament for five years.
Gifts received from foreign dignitaries and heads of state are stored in what is called the Toshakhana or the treasure house.
The 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician is accused of making a killing by selling the gifts when he was prime minister between 2018 and 2022 but not fully disclosing the profits the the poll watchdog.
The complaint was lodged by the Pakistan Democratic Movement, whose members now make up the government. It also accused Khan of failing to disclose some of the gifts while selling them and making handsome profits.
The disqualification comes days after the PTI did well in a clutch of assembly bypolls. Khan’s first response to the accusation was that he had not made public some gifts on grounds of national security, but in a written submission admitted buying items worth nearly 22 million Pakistani rupees from the Toshakhana and later selling them for more than twice that amount.
He claimed the valuation was done through proper channels. I n Pakistan, it is mandatory for the government to declare all gifts but leaders are allowed to retain those below a certain value. The more valuable items must go to Toshakhana, but in some cases the recipient can buy them back at about 50 per cent of their value a discount Khan raised from the earlier 20 per cent.
For his part, Khan denied the charges, adding he would file and appeal in the High Court of Islamabad. Angered by the verdict, party leaders urged supporters to come out on streets to stage a protest. Many people gathered in different parts of the country to express their solidarity with Khan. At some places, the police had to fire tear gas shells to contain the protesters.