Why was Imran Khan disqualified from being Elected Again?

Imran Khan has been disqualified from holding public office by Pakistan’s Election Commission following the conclusion of the Toshakhana case.

The verdict, held by the Electoral Commission of Pakistan (ECP), in Islamabad on October 21, 2022, has declared that Khan is no longer a member of the country’s National Assembly for five years.

This comes after Pakistan’s current coalition government, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) filed a motion against Imran Khan, with the intent to a lifetime disqualification of the PTI chairman on the grounds of failing to declare profits from the sale of gifted items.

It is alleged that such items were acquired at a significantly lower rate from the State-held department which holds gifts received by members of Pakistan’s government – namely the Toshakhana.

All parliamentary members of Pakistan should comply with government ruling and declare giftings of value.

However, Khan’s government came under fire as they failed to comply with rulings of the Toshakhana – threatening the country’s inter-state relations.

Under Article 62(1) (f) of the state’s constitution, which demands members of the government to be honest and righteous, this premise has put a question mark next to Imran Khan’s credibility by the members of the PDM.

But will Khan’s alleged corruption ever see him as Prime Minister again?

The Toshakhana dilemma made headlines following an independent inquiry by the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC).

The PIC is an independent enquiry department, founded on the basis of the constitutions Right to Access Information Act.

This inquiry was accepted by the PIC to investigate gifts received by Khan from foreign state officials.

In response to the Toshakhana dispute in April 2022, former PM Khan stated that the ownership of gifts from the state repository was his right:

“Mera thofa, meri marzi (my gift, my choice).”

How is this disqualification significant?

This is not the former Prime Minister’s first disapproval from the parliament of Pakistan.

Khan’s removal from office in April 2022 was not taken lightly by the chairman of the PTI.

Imran Khan has always remained vocal about his disdain towards the Pakistani Democratic Movement (PDM) and the coalition government, headed by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

In recent days, a state by-election was called for eight available positions in the country’s national assembly and further positions in the Punjab province – this saw Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party triumph in a landslide victory.

Considering the strong support of Khan, emotions of anger and betrayal are felt by his supporters.

Despite the ECPs clear outcome of the Toshakhana enquiry, which stated that Khan “intentionally and deliberately” went against the laws of the parliament – the disqualification Khan under Article 63 (1) (p) states “for the time being, disqualified from being elected or chosen as a member of parliament”.

Can the decision to disqualify Khan from parliament still take an unexpected turn?

Whilst the ruling from the Electoral Commission is yet to be given full context, representatives of Khan and the PTI camp have stated the final order shall be designated in the High Court of Islamabad.

Although Khan’s attempts to overthrow the decision are in full effect, a by-poll will be immediately orchestrated to occupy the now-empty seat in the country’s National Assembly.

The question simmers, will Imran Khan ever regain his glory as Prime Minister of Pakistan?