The Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified former Prime Minister Imran Khan from contesting elections for five years, media reports said on Friday.
However, it's most probably that the disqualification will last until the end of current National Assembly's tenure.
Pakistan's Election Commission has also ordered that a criminal case be filed against Khan.
The case against Imran Khan started in August when National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf moved a reference to the Election Commission of Pakistan, seeking a life disqualification from contesting the election in light of the “Toshakhana scam.”
The 28-page disqualification reference was filed by seven parliamentarians belonging to the ruling coalition, alleging that the former PM had wrongfully appropriated at least 52 gifts from Toshakhana at nominal prices only to sell them on the market for higher ones, including some high-end watches.
As per Pakistani law, Khan was supposed to deposit every gift he received during his tenure as prime minister in the "Toshakhana", or the state gift repository. He could also have deposited half the worth of a necklace he received in the state treasury.
Ahead of the verdict, hundreds of security officials were deployed in Islamabad to protect the high-security Red Zone to control law and order in the capital city.
Meanwhile, former foreign minister and PTI politician Shah Muhammad Qureshi said that Khan will remain the chairman of the party, though, as per the verdict, he cannot hold the post of party chairman.
PTI ex-cabinet member Fawad Hussein has called on people to come out and protest against the decision.