Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PT) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday moved the Islamabad High Court against a reference under process in the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The petition, which was moved through Dr Babar Awan, contended that the ECP could not hear the reference against Kaptaan due to it being time barred.

The petition stated that the ECP was bound to decide any reference within 90 days in accordance of the constitution.

The National Assembly speaker had moved the reference on September 4 last year and three months had completed on December 4, 2016.

It also stated that the commission could not hear the case until an amendment could be introduced in the constitution in this regard.

The petition requested the court to issue a stay-order against the ECP proceedings against the skipper.

The ECP and Law Ministry secretaries, the National Assembly speaker and Cabinet Secretariat had been made respondents in the case.

The NA speaker had forwarded a reference to the ECP seeking Kaptaan’s disqualification.

The reference stated that Imran Khan had made “misstatements” about his Bani Gala property.

The speaker noted that the skipper had declared that he had received the property as a gift, whereas he had actually bought it from his ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith.

In a tit-for-tat response to the opposition’s references against the Prime Minister, a few Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz members had filed references against Imran and Jehangir Khan Tareen with the speaker. The speaker rejected references against the premier, but forwarded those against the two PTI leaders to the ECP.