LHC judge refers Imran's de-seating petition to larger bench.

LAHORE -- Justice Jawad Hassan of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday proposed to the chief justice that a larger bench should decide a petition filed by PTI Chairman Imran Khan against the proceedings of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to debar him from heading his party.

The ECP started the proceedings against Mr Khan after disqualifying him from his Mianwali seat of the National Assembly in October in the Toshakhana case.

At the previous hearing last week, Justice Hassan restrained the ECP from removing Mr Khan as the PTI chairman in pursuance of the Toshakhana case verdict.

At Wednesday's hearing, Additional Attorney General Nasar Ahmad said the petitioner concealed the facts about the pendency of his petition on the same issue before the Islamabad High Court (IHC), wherein notices were issued and interim relief was also granted to him.

Previous order in party office case not received, PTI chief counsel tells ECP

However, Mr Khan's counsel, Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, pointed out that the fact about the proceedings before the IHC was mentioned in the petition filed in the LHC.

Justice Hassan observed that since important articles of the Constitution and provisions of the Election Act 2017 required interpretation, he deemed it fit to refer the matter to the LHC chief justice for forming a larger bench.

The judge also observed that the stay granted to Mr Khan would continue until further proceedings by a larger bench.

Earlier, Barrister Zafar argued that his client, Mr Khan, was aggrieved by the assumption of jurisdiction by the ECP through the issuance of the impugned order and the notice. He sought the interpretation of Articles 218(3) and 219, read with Articles 4 and 5 of the...