PAKISTAN'S ELECTION COMMISSION INTENDS TO REMOVE IMRAN KHAN AS PTI PARTY LEADER

Following Imran Khan's disqualification in the Toshakhana case, Pakistan's Election Commission on Tuesday started the procedure to have him removed from his position as leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. According to a senior ECP official quoted in the Dawn daily, a notice has been sent to the former prime minister and a hearing date of December 13 has been set for the case.

Khan, 70, is being investigated for buying presents from the state storehouse Toshakhana at a discounted price, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier, and then reselling them for profit.

Later, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified him in accordance with Article 63(i)(p) for making "false assertions and erroneous declaration. "The presents were acquired from the Toshakhana, the state repository founded in 1974, for Rs 21.5 million based on their assessed value, even though they were worth around Rs 108 million, according to the ECP data.

Since the news of the Toshakhana sale broke in the media, there have been several accusations and denials made by the government and opposition of Pakistan. In accordance with Pakistani legislation, gifts from outside must be placed in the Toshakhana, or treasury, for appraisal before being given to the receiver. Government employees must declare any gifts they receive, but there is a minimum amount below which they are not compelled to divulge the entire value.

Larger presents are shipped to Toshakhana, although the receiver may be able to repurchase them at a 50% discount. According to PTI officials, no legislation prohibits a felon from becoming a political party office-bearer.

However, in 2018, a three-judge Supreme Court panel hearing petitions against the Elections Act found that anyone banned under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution may not lead a political party. Following his disqualification by the Supreme Court under Article 62(1), the verdict opened the path for Nawaz Sharif's removal as PML-N leader (f).

On Monday, Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, filed a petition with the Lahore High Court (LHC) protesting the government's investigation of audio leaks relating to the US programme.

The LHC Registrar's Office has scheduled a hearing on Tuesday for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman's petition challenging the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) call-up notice in an investigation into an audio leak involving the US cypher controversy.

The cypher scandal centres on supposed audio leaks of Khan defending his actions before he was deposed in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April and attempting to purchase the allegiance of legislators.

Khan said that he was the target of a US-led plot as a result of his independent stance on Russia, China, and Afghanistan. The former cricketer-turned-politician who assumed office in 2018 is the only Prime Minister of Pakistan to have been removed by a vote of no confidence in Parliament.