ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan can no longer continue as the head of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after being convicted in the Tosha Khana case, said Zulfikar Ahmed Bhutta, a prominent Supreme Court (SC) lawyer. JEE News report said.
The PTI chief was arrested in the Tosha Khana case after he was found guilty by the District and Sessions Court of Islamabad of selling official gifts in violation of laws.
Khan is accused of abusing his position as prime minister by selling official gifts worth more than 140 million rupees ($490,000) that he received from foreign dignitaries during foreign visits.
The senior lawyer said the conviction sealed Khan’s fate as party chairman, in line with the Supreme Court’s ruling on a constitutional petition filed by the PTI itself in the past.
“He will not be able to retain his post as Chairman of his political party due to his involvement. PLD 366/2018 (Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhatta, PTI, Pakistan People’s Party, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, Jamaat-e-Islami) etc. Imran Khan’s status as PTI Chairman has automatically come to an end in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Federation of Pakistan v. the case).
He said that after the conviction of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case, he had filed an application in the Supreme Court under Article 184(3) of the Constitution that a person who has been convicted by the Constitutional Court and sentenced Heard. If he is the head of a political party, he should also be disqualified from being the head of the party, otherwise he will continue to play his role in politics despite being punished and he will control his party.
Election tickets will be issued to the candidates only with the signatures of the convicted leader and defecting members of his party may also be disqualified on a letter written by him to the Election Commission.
“After my petition was filed, 15 parties including PTI chief Imran Khan and his right-hand man Sheikh Rasheed, PPP and JI etc. also filed constitutional petitions based on the same petition.
“Later, a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, Justice Umar Atta Bandial and Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, after hearing Supreme Court PLD 366/2018 Zulfiqar Ahmad Bhatta et al. issued a decision that the person found guilty Cannot be punished. Be the head of any political party,” he said.
The lawyer said that Khan and Rasheed used to visit the Supreme Court personally due to their interest in pursuing the case.
The PTI spokesperson said that the party will now be led by the vice-chairman and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
