ECP adjourns case seeking Imran’s disqualification till May 23

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday demanded from Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan a response by May 23 in the case seeking his disqualification, ARY News reported.

According to details, the ECP today restored the petition filed by Hashim Ali Bhutta after the petitioner apprised the ECP that he could not appear for proceeding of the case because his aunt had died.

This should be noted that Bhutta’s petition regarding PTI’s funding was earlier discarded on January 16 for failing to follow the case. Later, his lawyer Sharafat Chaudhry had appealed for restoration of the petition. Bhutta said January 16 was the only day he could not appear before the ECP.

The petition was restored for hearing by a five-member bench of ECP headed by Chief Election Commissioner justice (retd) Sardar Raza Khan.

The petitioner said Imran had lied before the election commission and after that he does not fulfill the requirements of Article 62 and 63 of the Constitution. Hence, he should be disqualified, he said.

On the flip side, Imran’s lawyer Shahid Gondal asked the ECP to discard the petition and wait for the Supreme Court ruling regarding a similar petition.

Gondal said Hanif Abbasi has filed a similar petition in the Supreme Court.

Lawyer of the petitioner Sharafat Chaudhry said his petition was not regarding foreign funding of PTI, but he believed that the PTI chief had accumulated the party funds through illegal means and submitted fake affidavits in this regard.