New Delhi: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will be announcing its verdict in the Toshakhana disqualification reference filed against Pakistan’s ousted prime minister Imran Khan on Friday at 2 pm. In a notice issued today, ECP stated that all the relevant parties or their counsels to appear before the electoral watchdog at its secretariat in Islamabad.
Toshakhana, which was established in 1974, is a department under the regulatory control of the Cabinet Division and stores valuable gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.
The ECP had reserved its verdict for the situation on September 19.
The coalition government filed the reference against the PTI chairman for “not sharing details” of Toshakhana gifts and proceeds from their alleged sale.
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As indicated by Toshakhana rules, presents and other such materials got by people to whom these principles apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division.
In any case, the PTI, while in government, had been hesitant to disclose the details of the gifts presented to Imran Khan since he assumed office in 2018, keeping up with that doing so would endanger global ties, even as the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) ordered it to do as such.
On August 4, lawmakers from the Pakistan Democratic Movement — which is part of the ruling alliance — documented a reference for the PTI chief’s disqualification from public office under articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution over his reluctance to share the details of Toshakhana gifts.
They submitted the reference to the National Assembly speaker who thusly sent it to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja for further action.
In its hearing on Aug 29, the ECP had sought a written reply from Imran by Sep 8. In his answer, the PTI chief had conceded to having sold somewhere around four presents during his tenure as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Imran, in his answer, kept up that the offer of the gifts that he had obtained from the state treasury in the wake of paying Rs 21.56 million brought about Rs 58m. One of the gifts incorporated a graff wristwatch, a pair of cuff links, a costly pen and a ring while the other three gifts included four Rolex watches.