Protests erupt in Pakistan as election commission disqualifies ex-PM Imran Khan

NEW DELHI: Protests erupted in many places in Pakistan after the Election Commission on Friday disqualified former prime minister Imran Khan from holding public office.

A panel headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja made the decision to disqualify the top opposition leader for making "false statements and incorrect declaration" about state gifts and proceeds from the sale of some items while in power.

Imran's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) asked people to take to the streets against the decision, raising prospects of a wider confrontation between his supporters and the six-month-old coalition government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Imran, who was ousted from power in April via a parliamentary no-confidence vote brought against him by an alliance of disparate parties known as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), has frequently attacked the chief election commissioner as biased against his party.

The disqualification verdict was not surprising as PTI leaders had expressed apprehensions that the government was trying to stop Imran from contesting the next elections due in 2023.

Imran has been pressing for immediate general elections.

Senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said the disqualification would "de-seat" Imran only for the National Assembly's current term.

"Disqualification, whether part-time or full-time, is unacceptable. The nation rejects this decision. The revolution has started," Fawad said in a tweet.

Another prominent PTI leader Asad Umar said the Election Commission's decision will be challenged in court and "the dream of minus Imran Khan" will never come true.

There has been speculation that the powerful military establishment may be accommodating towards the PTI without Imran, who insists on Pakistan pursuing an independent foreign policy.

The former prime minister's growing mass appeal is viewed with concern by his opponents.

Protests broke out in many cities, including Islamabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Peshawar, in support of Imran on Friday, television channel ARY reported.

-- BERNAMA