Omar Ayub among nine PTI lawmakers disqualified by ECP

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday disqualified the leaders of opposition in both the National Assembly and the Senate — Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz — after their conviction in May 6-related cases by an anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad.

However, the two PTI leaders are not alone as seven others too faced the same punishment.

The PTI members in National Assembly as well as the provincial legislatures had come together under the banner of SIC — Sunni Ittehad Council — after the contesting the 2024 general elections as independents.

Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Zartaj Gul, Rai Haider Ali, Ansar Iqbal, Junaid Afzal Sahi and Rai Murtaza Iqbal are the remaining parliamentarians denotified by the ECP.

Meanwhile, Shibli Faraz is the only senator affected by the latest round of disqualifications.

The details of vacant National Assembly seats are: Omar Ayub NA-18 Haripur, Rai Haider Ali Khan NA-96 Faisalabad-II, Sahibzada Hamid Raza NA-104 Faisalabad-X, Rai Hassan Nawaz NA-143 Sahiwal-III and Zartaj Gul NA-185 D.G Khan-II.

On the other hand, the three disqualified Punjab Assembly members are: Ansar Iqbal PP-73 Sargodha-III, Junaid Afzal Sahi PP-98 Faisalabad-I and Rai Murtaza Iqbal PP-203 Sahiwal-VI,

Given that these seats have fallen vacant, the ECP will soon issue by-election schedule to replace these legislators.

TIMING

Interestingly, the move comes on a day where the PTI has planned countrywide protests to the demand releasing the party founder — Imran Khan, showing that there is very little appetite for any relief.

Read more: DG ISPR refutes reports of backchannel contacts with Imran Khan

He had previously said that the May 9 is not a case of just military, it is of the entire nation.

Imran is incarcerated in the Adiala jail of Rawalpindi after his conviction in graft cases and faces the prospects of military court trial in the May 9 cases. One of these is the GHQ attack case.

At the same time, he is accused of masterminding the whole episode — the May 9 violent protests which saw attacks on around 200 sensitive installations and government offices. It is alleged that all of these coordinated and preplanned.

HOW DID IT START?

Meanwhile, the series of convictions in May 9 cases had started in Lahore on July 22 where Malik Ahmad Bachar — opposition leader in Punjab Assembly — was sentenced in the Mianwali attack case.

But July 22 also saw the sentencing of Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry and others in the Sherpao bridge case.

There are reports that over 70 PTI members could be sentenced and disqualified in the coming days and weeks.