LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has approached the Lahore High Court against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on a notice issued on proceedings for removing him as the PTI’s head following his disqualification from NA-95, Mianwali.

The court would proceed with the petition on Thursday (today).

The petitioner through his counsel Barrister Syed Ali Zafar pleaded that the cognisance and exercise of jurisdiction by the ECP for debarring Imran Khan from holding the office of the party chairman on the basis of alleged incorrect statement of assets and subsequent disqualification is unlawful and contrary to the Constitution.

He argued that the entire scheme of the qualification and the disqualification under the Constitution and the Act has been misconstrued by the ECP and the precedent set by the Supreme Court in disqualification of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been misapplied to the detriment of the petitioner.

Counsel stated that no declaration of disqualification under article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution has been passed by any court of law against the petitioner. “In fact the impugned findings of ECP are to the detriment of the entire scheme of parliamentary democracy which is not warranted in law and are liable to be set aside by the court,” he added.

He, therefore, asked the court to declare the impugned notice issued to the petitioner illegal and unconstitutional.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023