NE Watch Desk
In a huge setback for Pakistan’s former
Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Lahore High Court upheld the rejection of his
nomination papers for the general elections on February 8, according to Dawn
News.
The high court supported the decisions
of the returning officer (RO) and appellate tribunal, which had previously
rejected Imran Khan’s nomination papers for NA-122 and NA-89 constituencies.
The rejection was primarily based on his conviction in the Toshakhana case,
where he received a three-year prison sentence. The case, filed by the Election
Commission of Pakistan (ECP), accused Khan of failing to disclose details of
state gifts in his tax declarations.
Imran Khan’s nomination papers for
NA-122 were additionally dismissed due to the proposer not being a voter from
the constituency.
The appellate tribunals maintained the
decisions of the ROs, asserting that conviction and sentence were distinct, with
the former indicating a guilty verdict and the latter referring to the
punishment following conviction.
Earlier, the Lahore High Court had
reserved its decision on a writ petition filed by Imran Khan against the
election appellate tribunal’s dismissal of his appeal regarding the rejection
of nomination papers by the returning officer, as reported by The Express
Tribune on Tuesday.
Imran Khan’s counsel argued that the ECP
lacked the authority to disqualify an individual during the hearing. The lawyer
contended that the conviction for moral turpitude, which Imran Khan faced, did
not fall under the definition of disqualification, comparing it to corruption
or illegal asset accumulation.
However, the court maintained that
Pakistan’s standards of morality differed from other regions.
Despite Imran Khan filing petitions
asking the high court to overturn the decisions of the ROs and appellate
tribunals, the court upheld the rejection of his nomination papers, stating
that his conviction for moral turpitude still stood, and he had not been
acquitted.
