Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) informed Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday that the institution has initiated proceedings to remove Imran Khan as chairman of his party.
IHC on Tuesday adjourned till December 20 the hearing of the appeal of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan against the decision of ECP in the Toshakhana case. Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard the appeal filed by the former prime minister challenging his disqualification and further action in the Toshakhana case. At the outset of the hearing, the representative of ECP informed the court that a lower court has also reserved its decision on a plea seeking a criminal case against the PTI chief on hiding assets details.
The chief justice remarked that the court would decide this appeal in two or three weeks after listening to arguments from all sides. Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s lawyer, Barrister Ali Zafar, said that the speaker of National Assembly had sent the matter to the ECP regarding his client’s tax return of 2018-19. The speaker also sent his opinion to the ECP seeking PTI head’s disqualification under Article 62(1)(f) of the constitution, he added.
The chief justice inquired whether the ECP sought further details or if it only depended on the reference of the NA speaker. The ECP must have listened to the defense side as well, the CJ remarked. The lawyer said that the ECP had only depended on the documents and references sent by the NA speaker. The evidence should have also been sent along with the reference, he said. Barrister Ali Zafar said that the ECP was not a court of law as per various observations of the top court. The ECP had given reference of Faisal Vawda case and issued such declaration, he said.
The lawyer said that the grounds of Article 63(2) should exist in the reference which was sent under the same Article. If the trial court gave a judgment against his client then the ECP could take the decision of disqualification, he added. After this, the court adjourned further hearing till December 20, wherein Barrister Ali Zafar would continue his arguments at the resumption of proceedings. Separately, ECP summoned Imran Khan along with party leaders Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry as the electoral watchdog continued the hearing of a contempt case on Tuesday.
