Imran Khan barred from running for public office for five years by Pakistan election commission

Pakistan's election commission on Friday disqualified former prime minister Imran Khan for five years from holding public office over charges of unlawfully selling state gifts received from heads of other nations and foreign dignitaries, local media reported.

"The ECP (Election Commission of Pakistan) has declared Imran Khan was involved in corrupt practices," said Imran's lawyer Gohar Khan.

"We are going to challenge it in the Islamabad high court right now."

The case is another twist in the political tussle on since even before Imran's ouster in April. It is one of several being fought by the former international cricket star and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

"In our opinion the Election Commission of Pakistan is not a court, therefore they can't give a declaration to disqualify anyone," PTI senator Syed Ali Zafar, a barrister representing Khan, told a press conference Friday before the ruling.

The case centres on a government department known as "Toshakhana", which during the Mughal era referred to the "treasure houses" kept by the sub-continent's princely rulers to store and display gifts they received.

Government officials are supposed to declare all gifts, but can keep only those below a certain value.

More expensive items must go to Toshakhana, but in some cases the recipient can buy them back at around 50 per cent of their value. Imran raised this discount from 20 per cent while in office.

Pakistani newspapers have been reporting about how Imran and his wife received expensive gifts, such asluxury watches, jewellery, designer handbags and perfumes, during trips abroad.

Khan failed to declare some gifts or the profit made from selling them. When the charges were first brought against him,he admitted to not declaring some gifts on national security grounds.

But later, in a written submission, he admitted buying items worth nearly 22 million rupees ($100,000), and later selling them for more than twice that amount.

(With inputs from agencies)