Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Saturday equated the arrest of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to ‘India model in preventing the principal opposition leader from contesting elections’. Without making direct reference, the Congress MP drew parallels with Rahul Gandhi’s conviction issue over his ‘Modi surname’ remark, which was eventually put on hold by the Supreme Court on Friday.
“Pakistan following the India model in preventing the principal opposition leader from contesting elections,” Chidambaram wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The Congress MP’s reaction came moments after the former Pakistan PM was arrested from his Lahore residence in the Toshakhana case pertaining to illegal acquisition and selling of state gifts when he was in power. He was sentenced to three years in prison and barred from participating in active politics for five years.
The case originates from a complaint by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that claims Khan intentionally concealed information about the gifts he retained from the Toshakhana. ECP disqualified Khan on October 21, 2022, for making ‘false statements and incorrect declaration’.
The gifts reportedly consist of seven watches, with six being Rolexes. The most expensive among them was a “Master Graff limited edition”, estimated at 85 million rupees ($300,000), Reuters reported citing Pakistan’s information minister.
Similarly, Chidambaram’s reference was pointing at Rahul Gandhi’s two-year conviction in a criminal defamation case, which eventually led to his disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP. The Congress has been alleging that this move was made in an attempt to ‘muffle Rahul Gandhi’s voice’ and bar him from contesting the upcoming general election.
The Supreme Court on Friday put a stay on the former Congress president’s conviction. A bench of Justices BR Gavai, PS Narasimha and PV Sanjay Kumar said the trial court did not give any specific reasons for imposing the maximum punishment of two years’ imprisonment prescribed under the Indian Penal Code for the offence of defamation.
Source : Hindustan Times
