The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ordered on Thursday the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to provide the documents in the reference seeking the disqualification party chief Imran Khan for hiding Toshakhana gifts.

“The National Assembly Secretariat has not sent the resignation to the commission and therefore, Imran Khan is still MNA to ECP,” Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja remarked.

The reference was filed under Article 63 by PML-N MNA Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha and six other members of the National Assembly against the PTI chairperson.

“Despite buying gifts from Toshakhana, Imran Khan did not declare them in the declaration of assets submitted to the election commission, therefore he (Imran Khan) is dishonest and should be disqualified for life from contesting elections under Article 62(1)(f), Article 2, and Article 3 of the Constitution,” the reference stated.

The reference was sent to the ECP, where a 5-member bench headed by CEC Raja presided over a preliminary hearing.

During today’s hearing, lawyer Khalid Ishaq appeared before the ECP on behalf of the government while Barrister Ali Zafar’s assistant counsel appeared as representative for PTI as Zafar could not come due to his busy schedule.

PTI’s counsel said that Imran Khan was no longer a member of the Assembly and the hearing should be adjourned.

Upon this, the CEC remarked that the ECP had not received Imran Khan’s resignation, therefore, Imran Khan was still a member of the National Assembly.

A member could not be de-notified unless the resignation is approved by the National Assembly speaker, the CEC added.

The ECP then directed PTI’s counsel to provide the necessary documents and adjourned the case till August 22.

Later, speaking to the media outside the ECP, Ranjha said that Article 62(1)(f) is the same legal instrument that disqualified the former PM Nawaz Sharif from contesting elections and led to his removal from power.

The PML-N leader said that Imran Khan had sold expensive watches worth more than Rs100 million for just Rs50 million, adding that the act had disgraced Pakistan in the world.

Earlier in June, PTI Chairman sold three expensive watches from the Toshakhana - collectively worth more than Rs100 million - to a local watch dealer.