ECP rubbishes report claiming Imran Khan being removed as PTI chairman

• The ‘topic’ did not come under discussing in the meeting, clarifies ECP.
• Electoral body seeks guidance from its legal team on delimitation.
• Scrutiny committee directed to submit report on foreign funding.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday categorically rejected reports claiming that the electoral watchdog had decided to strip Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan of his party’s chairmanship following his conviction in the Toshakhana reference.

A district and sessions court in Islamabad on August 5 convicted the former prime minister for corrupt practices related to the state gift depository — allegations which he denies.

The 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician was accused of misusing his premiership to buy and sell gifts in state possession that were received during visits abroad and worth more than Rs140 million (approximately $635,000).

Rejecting Khan's petition seeking inadmissibility of the case, Additional and Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar sentenced the PTI chief to three-year imprisonment.

"Charges of misdeclaration of assets have been proven against the PTI chairman," Judge Dilawar mentioned in his judgment. He then handed Khan three years in jail along with a fine of Rs100,000.

Soon after being convicted in the case, the former prime minister was taken into custody from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

Earlier today, reports started circulating on social media and a section of mainstream media claiming that an important meeting is underway in the ECP with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja in the chair to revive the evolving situation after Khan’s arrest.

According to reports, the ECP meeting decided to remove Khan from the party chairmanship as he was no longer eligible to hold the office after his convection in the case. The ECP was all set to issue an order in this regard, the reports further claimed. The election organising authority, however, termed the reports as rumours.

“Neither any meeting was held on the matter at the ECP nor the topic came under discussing,” clarified the election watchdog. 

On August 5, the Council of Common Interest (CCI) meeting “unanimously” approved the 2023 census, making it almost certain that the general elections — which were to be held in November this year in case the assemblies are dissolved on August 9 — would not be held during the current year.

Under the law, if a new census is notified, the electoral authority is bound to hold polls on the basis of new data. In this situation, the ECP was bound to conduct the delimitation exercise afresh.

In order to fulfil the constitutional obligations, a meeting of the ECP was held with the CEC in the chair today, according to a statement issued by the election watchdog.

During the meeting, the ECP instructed its legal team to provide necessary guidance in light of the law to the body about the official publication of the census results and for evolving a strategy to deal with the upcoming challenges in the next sitting slated to be held at 11:30 tomorrow (Tuesday).

Giving the scrutiny committee another 10 days, the commission directed the body to present its report on foreign funding involving more political parties before the ECP in the next sitting.

In addition to this, the ECP directed its law wing to peruse all the under-trail cases in different courts to bring them to their logical end.