On Tuesday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reserved judgment regarding a petition seeking the removal of Imran Khan as the party’s chairman.
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja led the five-member bench overseeing the hearing, where PTI’s lawyer Shoaib Shaheen argued that the issue was resolved through a recent intra-party election, making the petition invalid. The ECP had instructed PTI to conduct intra-party polls, resulting in Barrister Gohar Ali Khan being elected unopposed as the new chairman on December 2. During the hearing, the CEC suggested allowing PTI leader Akbar S Babar to file a petition if the ECP decides to pursue the matter further. Petitioner Khalid Mehmood requested the judgment to state that the former prime minister, Imran Khan, was convicted and thus ineligible for any official position. The CEC noted that since Imran did not contest the intra-party election, the commission could not make a statement on the matter. Last November, Imran Khan was found guilty in the Toshakhana case, leading to a three-year jail sentence and a five-year ineligibility to hold public office.
