Imran Khan: Former Pakistan PM barred from running for office for five years

Pakistan's predetermination committee has barred erstwhile Prime Minister Imran Khan from holding nationalist bureau connected charges of unlawfully selling authorities gifts.

The governing conjugation had sought the ruling, accusing Mr Khan of not sharing details of presents from overseas dignitaries and proceeds from their alleged sale.

His lawyers accidental they volition situation the commission's verdict successful the precocious court.

Mr Khan has antecedently said the lawsuit is politically motivated.

The unanimous determination by a five-member sheet of the predetermination committee is simply a immense setback for the erstwhile premier, says the BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan. Imran Khan remains hugely popular.

He admitted past period to having sold astatine slightest 4 gifts helium had received during his tenure arsenic premier minister, and that they had been included successful his income taxation returns.

The gifts included Rolex watches, a ringing and a brace of cuff links.

Government officials indispensable state each gifts, but are allowed to support those beneath a definite value. In immoderate cases, the recipient tin bargain them backmost astatine astir 50%, AFP quality bureau reports.

Mr Khan - who has denied the charges against him - antecedently said helium had not made nationalist immoderate gifts connected nationalist information grounds, but successful a written submission admitted buying items worthy astir $100,000 (£90,000), and aboriginal selling them for much than doubly that amount, AFP says.

Faisal Chaudhry, a lawyer successful Mr Khan's team, has told Reuters quality bureau the predetermination committee tribunal has nary jurisdiction successful the substance and that the determination volition beryllium challenged.

Security had been stepped up successful the capital, Islamabad, up of the commission's ruling.

After the ruling, Khan's enactment spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry called for supporters to travel retired connected the streets to "topple this parliament".

Since being ousted from powerfulness successful April, Mr Khan has been a vocal professional of the authorities and the country's army.

Since then, the erstwhile person has toured the state to present a bid of fiery speeches calling for caller elections and fiercely criticising some the authorities and the army.

The charismatic person was elected premier curate successful 2018, but fell retired with Pakistan's almighty service towards the extremity of his tenure. After a bid of defections, helium mislaid his bulk successful parliament.