The changes state that any conventional attack on Russia, aided by a nuclear power, could be considered to be a joint attack
world3 days ago
In another jolt to Imran Khan, a Pakistani high court on Wednesday dismissed the jailed former prime minister's petitions challenging the decisions of the rejection of his nomination papers filed from two constituencies in Punjab province ahead of the February 8 general elections.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had rejected the nomination papers of the 71-year-old founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party from the Lahore (NA-122) and Mianwali (NA-89) constituencies.
The ECP had rejected Khan’s nomination papers primarily on the grounds of being convicted in the Toshakhana corruption case. Also, his nomination papers from NA-122 were dismissed on the grounds that the proposer was not a voter from the constituency.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
In the Toshakhana corruption case, Khan is accused of taking luxurious vehicles from the national treasury in violation of the Toshakhana or state repository rules. All gifts given by foreign leaders to Pakistani top leaders on their trips are kept in the Toshakhana.
Later, the Islamabad High Court had set aside the sentence and ordered his release. However, he was not freed as he was undergoing trial in the cipher case.
Khan’s petitions challenging the decisions of the rejection of his nomination papers were rejected by a bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, the Dawn newspaper reported on Wednesday.
During the hearing, the court upheld the decisions of the appellate tribunals and rejected Khan's nomination papers, essentially excluding him from the upcoming general elections.
During the previous hearing on Tuesday, the beleaguered PTI founder's lawyer advocate Uzair Bhandari argued that the conviction on the charge of moral turpitude did not fall under the definition of disqualification. He said the conviction of the petitioner could not be equated with the conviction for corruption or accumulating illegal assets and pointed out that an Indian court enlisted the offence of moral turpitude lower than the offence involving financial corruption.
“However, the bench observed that the standards of morality in Pakistan were different from other regions,” the Dawn report said.
Bhandari argued that the returning officer (RO) had no jurisdiction to pass the impugned order on the basis of the conviction on moral turpitude. He stated that the Islamabad High Court had already suspended the sentence of the petitioner.
However, a lawyer for the ECP argued that the conviction of the petitioner was still in force and he had not been acquitted by the high court.
ALSO READ:
The changes state that any conventional attack on Russia, aided by a nuclear power, could be considered to be a joint attack
world3 days ago
The country launched a probe in March 2021 into WhatsApp's privacy policy, which allowed data sharing with Facebook and its units, sparking global backlash
world4 days ago
This time around, Trump wants the Senate to give up that gatekeeping role and allow him to make 'recess appointments'
world4 days ago
Police allege the offences took place between 2001 and 2019 against 8 victims; the youngest was 17 at the time of the offence
world4 days ago
The two countries have a mutual defence treaty dating back to 1951, which could be invoked if either side came under attack, including in the South China Sea
world4 days ago
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu conferred the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger on Narendra Modi in Abuja on Sunday
world5 days ago
The titleholder's winning answer focused on using each individual's strengths
world5 days ago
The suspects would be interrogated jointly with the Shin Bet internal security agency, police said
world5 days ago