Pakistan election authority disqualifies ex-premier Imran Khan

Election Commission of Pakistan also unseats Khan from parliament and orders that criminal case be initiated against him for corrupt practices

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) – Pakistan's election commission disqualified former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday for failing to disclose gifts he received while serving as the country's premier.

A five-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, issued a unanimous decision declaring Khan unseated from parliament.

According to the ruling, Khan should face criminal charges for concealing the details of gifts he received from different countries during his over three-year tenure as prime minister.

In a by-election earlier this week, Khan won six of the seven National Assembly seats he was running for across the country.

Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has rejected the verdict and declared a nationwide strike against the election commission.

"The Election Commission has no authority to disqualify any member of parliament; the commission has violated the law," said Asad Umar, a PTI leader and former minister in Khan's cabinet.

"I warn that no minus-one formula will be achieved, and we will file an appeal in the higher court," he added.

Meanwhile, PTI leaders urged the public to take to the streets in strong opposition to this decision.

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