ISLAMABAD: The ruling and main opposition parties on Friday had their own interpretations of the verdict against former prime minister Imran Khan in the Tosha Khana case, with the former terming it a “five-year disqualification”, and the latter Rejected. On the basis that the High Court will strike it down.
Stating that the ECP had done justice in the Tosha Khana reference, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged PTI leaders and activists not to take the law into their own hands.
“The myth of [Imran Khan’s] honesty and wisdom has been shattered,” he tweeted, adding that the nation had witnessed how the prime minister’s office was misused for personal gain.
الیکشن کمشن نے توشہ خانہ ریفرنس میں انصاف کیا۔ قوم نے دیکھ لیا کہ کرپٹ پریکٹس کرکے وزیراعظم کے منصب کو ذاتی آمدنی کا ذریعہ بنایاگیا۔ “صداقت وامانت” کا بُت پاش پاش ہوگیا۔ قانون سے لڑنے، گولیاں،ڈنڈے چلانے / فسادی جتھے لانے کے بجائے قانون کے سامنے سر جھکائیں۔کوئی قانون سے بالا نہیں
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) October 21, 2022
Demanding Mr Khan’s arrest and recovery of “looted money” from him, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said “Pakistan’s first proven liar and thief” had been disqualified with irrefutable evidence.
پاکستان کا پہلا سرٹیفائڈ جھوٹا اور سند یافتہ چور جو چوری کے نا قابل تردید ثبوتوں کے ساتھ نا اہل ہوا۔ میاں بیوی نے مل کر قومی خزانے کو لوٹا۔ جتنی بڑی چوری ہے اسکی سزا صرف نااہلی پر ختم نہیں ہونی چاہیے۔ اسکو گرفتار کر کے قانون کے سامنے پیش کرنا چاہیے اور لوٹا پیسہ واپس لینا چاہیے۔ pic.twitter.com/5gNffXw0ID
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) October 21, 2022
Members of the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance also met shortly after the ECP announced its decision, and in a subsequent press release, Maulana Fazlur Rehman hailed the decision, saying that Imran Khan After the disqualification of, “The nation has been delivered from temptation. (Troublemaker).”
PPP leader and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, speaking at an event in Karachi, saw the verdict against Mr Khan as “just the beginning”, and predicted “such cases” against the former prime minister. More decisions” are yet to come.
In the words of Awami National Party (ANP) president Asfandyar Wali Khan, the ECP’s decision was within the constitutional mandate of the commission.
PTI’s Response
However, Mr Khan’s own party was understandably upset by the decision, saying the decision against Mr Khan was outside the jurisdiction of the ECP and proved its “impartiality”.
The party also announced its intention to file an appeal against the verdict in the Islamabad High Court after a copy of the detailed verdict is available.
According to PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the ECP’s decision has “no significance”. He said that Imran Khan will continue to hold the post of party chairman as the commission has no jurisdiction to rule on such matters.
He further said that we are going to challenge this decision in the Supreme Court.
Party’s Central Secretary General Asad Umar also expressed a strong reaction to the decision and said that the decision will not last even for a few hours.
“We expected this decision. Our lawyers are ready, the petition is ready and the decision will be challenged in the High Court.
Speaking to the media outside ECP offices, Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said that this is a wrong decision, ECP cannot de-seat Imran Khan, ECP has done what we expected from him. .
“Today is the beginning of the revolution. No one can disqualify Imran Khan. Only the people can do that,” he vowed.
Shafqat Mehmood opposed the verdict, calling it a “black day for Pakistan”.
PTI’s legal expert Babar Awan said that Imran Khan was not disqualified but the people who passed the verdict were disqualified.
His view was echoed by former finance minister Shaukat Tareen, who maintained that the ECP was not a court of law. “He [Imran] has not broken any rules and people know it. This will only make him more popular and force PTI to start a long match. Minus one is not acceptable to Pakistani people,” he said. He tweeted.
CEC is not a court and yet has disqualified the most popular leader in Pakistan. He has broken no rules and people know it. This will only make him more popular and will force PTI to launch the long match. Minus One is not acceptable to the people of Pakistan.
— Shaukat Tarin (@shaukat_tarin) October 21, 2022
Meanwhile, to a question about Mr. Khan’s disqualification and whether it could affect US-Pakistan relations, a US State Department spokesperson said that Washington does not have a second position over a political candidate or party. .
“We support the peaceful maintenance of democratic, constitutional and legal principles, including allowing the legal process to take its course. We support the principles of rule of law and equal justice under the law,” the spokesperson said.
