According to AP, officials stated that former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was barred from holding public office on Friday after the top election tribunal found him guilty of unlawfully selling gifts and concealing assets.
The cricketer-turned-politician was accused of misusing his 2018-2022 premiership to buy and sell gifts in state possession that were received during visits abroad and worth more than 140 million rupees ($635,000).
According to government officials, the presents included valuable wristwatches given by a royal family, which are alleged to have been sold in Dubai by Khan’s aides.
Mr. Khan has denied the charges and has since held protest gatherings across the country calling for snap elections, but the government said they will be held as scheduled in October or November next year.
According to legal experts, the former cricket hero is likely to lose his seat in the National Assembly of Pakistan. Under Pakistani law, a legislator found guilty of corruption or misuse of public office can be barred for up to five years.
Mr. Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party called on supporters to protest in different cities, blocking roads and streets, but officials said there were no reports of violence.
Shortly after Khan’s disqualification, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari wrote of Khan on Twitter: “He who would spread lies about the alleged corruption of his political opponents has been caught red-handed.”
Also, Khan’s opponent Maryam Nawaz, from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N), told reporters in London in recorded comments telecast by local Geo News TV: “It is proved now that he is a certified thief.”