Photo: Jawad Zakariya via Wikimedia Commons
Pakistan’s Supreme Court rejected a petition on Friday to disqualify opposition leader Imran Khan from becoming member of the parliament, making him eligible for a fight in the people’s court in next year’s election.
With his main rival former prime minister Nawaz Sharif out of the 2018 general elections, the Khan will now likely contest a relatively weaker candidate from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (N), which has a large following in the largest Punjab province.
Sharif, the three times prime minister, was disqualified by the court in a July 28 corruption scandal verdict.
Sharif’s supporters have expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict in Khan’s case as they draw parallels. But, supporters of the PTI leader say there is one big difference – Khan has never held a high government office, and therefore has never been in charge of the national exchequer as has been Sharif and his family.
“No dishonesty or omission can be attributed to him. This petition has no merits and is hereby dismissed,” Chief Justice Saqib Nisar told the court, while clearing Imran Khan of the charges.
The verdict comes after a lawmaker Hanif Abbasi of Pakistan Muslim League (N) filed a complaint late last year alleging Khan and PTI secretary general Jahangir Tareen owned offshore companies and had not disclosed their assets in the election returns. While the courts have barred Tareen from holding any office, they have cleared Khan.
“The respondent is declared not to be an honest person. He ceased to be member of the parliament. The respondent is disqualified,” Chief Justice Mian Saquib Nisar said of Tareen, one of the richest Pakistanis.
A PTI spokesman Naeem ul Haq said the party was disappointed with that judgment while Tareen in a twitter message said that he would continue to work as an ordinary worker of PTI.
“I gave 60 documents to the Supreme Court … Nawaz Sharif, took 300 billion rupees out of this country which he has to answer for … and for that he produced only one document,” Imran Khan told a press conference soon after the court verdict.
The Friday verdict is being seen as a boost for the former Pakistan cricket captain’s political party PTI and Khan is expected to try and strengthen its roots in Punjab and other provinces.
Khan who has spearheaded protest movement against the government of Sharif led PML (N) has been accused by political analysts as having backing of the establishment.
His party has given a tough time to the ruling party in central Pakistan province of Punjab that once used to be the bastion of the PML (N).
Yet, it is not going to be an easy sailing for the PTI, which despite being around for years, has not been able to have strong grass-roots management. The party still banks on Imran Khan’s achievements, although he has made controversial statements on many national issues.
Over the last few weeks, Imran Khan appears to have moved close to the former President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari.
Whether the two politicians – often at odds on major issues – will contest the elections together or whether Imran Khan would like to have another solo shot at the prime ministerhsip of the country remains to be soon.
