Pakistan's incarcerated former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, took legal action on Wednesday by filing a plea in the Supreme Court, contesting the rejection of his nomination papers for two National Assembly seats in Punjab province ahead of the February 8 polls.
Last month, the nomination papers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader were turned down for two National Assembly constituencies located in Lahore and Mianwali districts of Punjab, citing reasons related to "moral grounds and being convicted in the Toshakhana (national treasury gifts) corruption case".
The 71-year-old erstwhile cricketer, now a prominent politician, had previously lodged a petition at the Lahore High Court (LHC) earlier this month against the dismissal of his papers. However, the LHC upheld the decisions made by the returning officer (RO) and the appellate tribunal.
In his plea submitted to the apex court, Khan appealed for a declaration of his eligibility to contest elections from the aforementioned constituencies, as per a report by Geo News.
The plea argued against the disqualification notification under Article 63(1)(h), asserting its ineligibility. It contended that for disqualification under Article 63(1)(H), there must be a moral offense committed, highlighting that the conviction in the Toshakhana corruption case did not pertain to moral grounds.
Furthermore, the plea sought the annulment of decisions made by the returning officer, the Election Tribunal, and the high court.
On the same day, an accountability court handed Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, a 14-year rigorous imprisonment sentence in a corruption case, adding to the challenges faced by Khan following a 10-year jail term for leaking sensitive state secrets.
In the Toshakhana corruption case, Khan, the imprisoned PTI founder, faced accusations of unlawfully retaining costly state gifts received during his tenure as Pakistan's premier.
Additionally, Khan and his spouse were barred from holding any public office for a decade and were each fined Rs 787 million.
This legal ordeal follows Khan's recent sentencing to 10 years in prison, alongside former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, by a special court for divulging sensitive state secrets. Khan is currently serving a three-year jail term after being found guilty of corruption.
With general elections slated for February 8, the legal battles have intensified the political turbulence surrounding Khan and the PTI.
