The Supreme Court of Pakistan has issued a notice to the Election Commission of Pakistan concerning the five-year electoral disqualification of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, which followed his conviction in the Toshakhana asset concealment case, according to Dawn. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar heard several petitions submitted by the founder of Pakistan Tehreek‑e‑Insaf. Prominent political leaders and legal representatives, including opposition leaders from the National Assembly and Senate, senior party officials, and legal counsel, were present during the proceedings at Courtroom No. 2.

During the hearing, Justice Salahuddin Panwhar questioned why the disqualification notification had not been challenged earlier, while Justice Kakar stated that the Election Commission should explain the legal basis for imposing the ban. Counsel Sardar Latif Khosa argued that although the sentence in the concealment case had been suspended, the conviction itself remained in place. Justice Kakar responded that the Islamabad High Court had only been asked to suspend the sentence, which it did.

Khosa cited a 2019 legal precedent, claiming that suspending a sentence should also suspend the judgment. However, Prosecutor General Sarwar Nahang clarified that suspension of a sentence does not automatically suspend a conviction. The court referred counsel to the relevant section of the earlier ruling, which states that a conviction and disqualification remain effective unless the conviction itself is suspended or overturned on appeal. Justice Kakar remarked that relying on a precedent that contradicted the argument made it difficult for the court to provide relief and stressed the importance of hearing the Election Commission’s position.

The Supreme Court later postponed the case indefinitely. In separate proceedings, the bench also delayed the cipher case involving Shah Mehmood Qureshi after the prosecutor requested additional time. Appeals related to a defamation case filed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif against Imran Khan were also deferred until after Ramazan.