Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was charged with contempt of the electoral commission on Wednesday. “The Election Commission indicted Imran Khan in the absence of lawyers,” Khan’s lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha posted on social media platform X on Wednesday
According to news agency Reuters, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) initiated contempt proceedings against Khan and other former leaders of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. The development came days after Khan’s nomination for the February 8 general elections was rejected by the Pakistan’s poll body.
The cricket-turned politician is currently in jail over several cases and has been embroiled in political and legal battles since he was ousted as prime minister in April 2022. He was jailed for three years in August for unlawfully selling state gifts while in office from 2018 to 2022.
Khan, who is widely seen as the country’s most popular leader, denied all charges against him and said he is being by hounded by the powerful military, which wants to keep him out of the polls. The military denies this.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, a high court in Pakistan restored the top election commission’s order suspending the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s intra-party polls as void and revoking its iconic cricket bat electoral symbol, news agency PTI reported. The decision comes as a blow for the party which reportedly alleged it is not being provided a level playing field in the run-up to the general election.
The verdict, reserved earlier in the day, was announced by Peshawar High Court judge Ejaz Khan on the Election Commission of Pakistan’s review petitions, the Dawn newspaper reported.
On Monday, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said that his party will participate in the general elections even without getting the cricket ‘bat’ as its electoral symbol.
Gohar Khan made the remarks during a meeting with journalists in Islamabad where he responded to their questions and talked about the current political situation in Pakistan. “Even if we do not get the bat symbol, we will still participate in the elections. PTI will not boycott the elections under any circumstances,” he was quoted by PTI as saying.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 03 Jan 2024, 06:37 PM IST