Imran Khan and Shah Mohammad Qureshi have been on trial in Adiala jail since last year (file photo)
Islamabad:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi was on Saturday disqualified for five years by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), ARY News reported.
The disqualification comes five days before the February 8 general election. Despite a crackdown by the state government and without its famous electoral symbol, the bat, the PTI is still contesting the general election.
According to the official order of the ECP, as the special court judge on January 30 in the case of State v. Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi and Makhdoom Shah Mohammad Qureshi The former foreign minister was disqualified. “
“Shah Mehmood Qureshi was found guilty u/s 5(3)(a), 5(1)(c) and punishable u/s 5(3)(b) of OSA, 5(1)(d) Punishment u/ Section 5(3)(b) of OSA read with Section 9 of OSA read with Section 34 PPC and found guilty of a charge under Section 5(3)(a) of OSA read with Section 34 PPC of 1923 , and convicted and sentenced u/s 5(3)(a) vide Section 34 PPC and sentenced to imprisonment for 10 years u/s 5(3)(a) vide Section 34 PPC, Guilty on charge u/s 9 reading Section 5(3)(a) of OSA, 1923, convicted and sentenced u/s 5(3)(a) of OSA, 1923 to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years”, ARY News reported citing the ECP order.
The order states that Shah Mehmood Qureshi has been disqualified under Section 63(1)(h) of the Constitution of Pakistan read with Section 232 of the Elections Act, 2017. Therefore, the PTI vice-president will not be allowed to contest the general elections in 2024 and any election thereafter for a term of five years, ARY News reported.
On January 30, a special court established under the Official Secrets Act sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to ten years in prison in the password case.
According to the FBI charge sheet, the cryptographic issue involved a diplomatic document that Imran is accused of failing to return. PTI said the document included US threats to remove Prime Minister Imran from office.
Imran Khan and Shah Mohammad Qureshi have been on trial in Adiala jail since last year for “distorting” facts in the diplomatic code case. Both PTI leaders have been accused of conspiring to misuse cryptographic content for illegal purposes. “
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
