Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, lost hope when the Lahore High Court on Wednesday upheld the rejection of his nomination papers for the general elections scheduled for February 8, according to Dawn News.
The rulings made by the appellate tribunal and returning officer (RO) to reject the former premier’s disqualified nomination papers from the NA-89 and NA-122 constituencies were affirmed by the high court.
According to the source, Imran’s nomination papers were denied mainly because he was found guilty in the Toshakhana case, where he received a three-year prison sentence. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) brought the lawsuit, alleging Imran neglected to disclose certain state gifts in his tax returns.
The tribunals had observed that a conviction indicated a court’s declaration of guilt about the delinquency ascribed to the accused, while a sentence indicated the extent of punishment.
Imran then filed two petitions at the LHC, requesting that the high court reverse the decisions made by the ROs and the appeal tribunals, which had rejected the petitioner’s nomination papers from both National Assembly constituencies.
Advocate Uzair Bhandari had argued on Imran’s side during the prior hearing. According to Dawn News, he stated that the petitioner’s conviction could not be compared to a conviction for corruption or acquiring illicit assets.
Additionally, he brought up the fact that an Indian court had placed a lower priority on the crime of moral turpitude than it did on financial corruption.
