Larger bench sought for pleas on Imran's disqualification.

LAHORE -- A Lahore High Court (LHC) judge has asked the chief justice to form a larger bench to decide two identical petitions concerning PTI chief Imran Khan's disqualification by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

One petition seeks Mr Khan's removal as the PTI head after his disqualification in the Toshakhana reference, whereas the other challenges the law invoked by the ECP to disqualify Mr Khan.

Justice Sajid Mahmood Sethi on Friday observed that important legal points had been raised in the petitions, which needed to be decided by a larger bench.

The judge sent the petitions to the LHC chief justice with a request to form a larger bench - one with at least five judges. He has already issued notices on both petitions.

In the first petition against the PTI chairman, Advocate MuhamAmad Afaq, the petitioner in person, said the ECP disqualified the former prime minister and de-seated him from Mianwali's NA-95 constituency on charges of corrupt practices.

Therefore, as per the RepresentaAtion of Peoples Act 1976 and the PoliAtical Parties Order 2002, the office-bearers of a political party must meet the standards provided in articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.

He argued that Mr Khan was violating the laws by continuing to head the PTI, a party registered with the ECP, and that a person disqualified under Article 63 was not entitled to become or stay as office-bearer of a political party.

The petitioner asked the court to order the ECP to remove Mr Khan as the PTI's chairman and direct the party to nominate a new head.

In the second petition against Mr Khan's disqualification, Jabir Abbas Khan, a voter from the NA-95 constituency, challenged the legitimacy of Section 137(4) of the Election Act 2017 invoked by the ECP to de-seat Imran Khan from the constituency in...