Pak court rejects petition to disqualify Imran Khan over 2018 election nomination allegations

Islamabad, May 21 (PTI) A Pakistani court on Tuesday rejected a petition seeking jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s disqualification in a case in which he allegedly provided incorrect information while submitting his nomination papers for the general elections held in 2018.

The petition filed by an individual, Mohammad Sajid, had alleged that the 71-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder had not disclosed his alleged daughter — Tyrian — in his nomination papers which were filed for contesting the 2018 general elections, the Geo News reported.

Khan’s PTI party won the 2018 general elections and the former cricketer-turned-politician served as the prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to April 2022.

Sajid alleged that Khan provided incorrect information while submitting his nomination papers for the general elections held in 2018.

The case had been pending since May 2023 after a three-member bench of the Islamabad High Court hearing the case was dissolved by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq.

A new IHC bench took up the plea on Tuesday. During the hearing, the court rejected the petition seeking Khan’s disqualification in the case.

The petition said that even though the former premier had three children, he had mentioned only two in the papers and concealed the existence of his third child.

The petitioner’s lawyers argued that the PTI founder did not declare Tyrian as his daughter in the affidavit submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The petitioner had alleged that Khan did not marry his alleged girlfriend Sita White, mother of Tyrian, because her father told Khan that he would not get a “penny” from his wealth if he married Sita.

The petition, titled “Imran versus Imran — the Untold Story”, also claimed that the custody of Tyrian was given to Jemima Goldsmith, the former wife of Khan.

It added that Sita in her will of February 27, 2004, had nominated Jemima as guardian of her daughter Tyrian. Sita died that year on May 13.

“Jemima Goldsmith had been the spouse of Imran Khan (1995-2004)…The concealed facts stood confirmed by a judgment of paternity rendered by a superior court in California in favour of Sita White where it was held that the respondent (Imran Khan) was the father of Tyrian Jade,” the petition said.