PTI lawmaker Abdul Latif Chitrali disqualified over May 9 conviction

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday disqualified PTI MNA Abdul Latif Chitrali and notified that NA-1, from where he was elected in 2024 elections, had fallen vacant.

Earlier in the day, the ECP reserved its judgment after both sides completed their argument.

The disqualification under Article 63 (1) is a result of Chitrali being convicted in a May attacks case.

In May this year, an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad had sentenced the PTI MNA from Chitral for 27 years after founding him guilty of attacking the Ramna Police Station in the federal capital during the May 9 riots.

The notification means that the country’s top electoral body would soon announce schedule for by-election in the constituency in the northernmost district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

THE MAY 9 CASES

However, Chitrali isn’t the first PTI parliamentarian facing disqualification as the ECP earlier this week slapped similar punishment on three others. Reason? Their conviction in another May 9-related case.

Read more: Malik Ahmad Bachar sentenced in May 9 Mianwali attack case

They include Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Bachar and two MNAs — Ahmed Chattha and Bilal Ejaz.

Meanwhile, the Sherpao bridge case registered for violent protests on May 9 have also resulted in sentencing the likes of Yasmin Rashid, Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed and Senator Ejaz Chaudhry.

Read more: Qureshi acquitted, Yasmin Rashid convicted in Sherpao bridge case

That’s why there rumours that dozens of PTI lawmakers, who are currently sitting in assemblies under the banner of SIC (Sunni Ittehad Council), may face disqualification. The main reason is that many of them are nominated in the May 9 cases.

And the ECP on Tuesday announced that by-elections would be held in PP-87 Mianwali and NA-66 Wazirabad to fill the seats falling vacant after the conviction of Bachar and Chattha. However, things are not clear about NA-81 Gujranwala (Bilal Ejaz) because of the ongoing legal tussle with the PML-N candidate.

Imran Khan, the PTI founder, is accused of mastermind the violence on May 9 which saw coordinated attacks on sensitive locations and government offices. Even the historic Radio Pakistan building in Peshawar wasn’t spared by the PTI supporters.

Meanwhile, Imran is nominated in the high-profile GHQ attack case among others.

On the other hand, September 10 is the date set for by-election in NA-175 (Muzaffargarh) after the ECP declared earlier this month that PTI’s Jamshed Dasti isn’t eligible to be a parliamentarian over holding fake degree.