ISLAMABAD:
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday delivered a major blow to PTI’s parliamentary muscle, disqualifying several of the party’s top opposition leaders on the day it marked the second anniversary of Imran Khan’s arrest with countrywide protests.
The axe fell hard, sweeping away the party’s parliamentary leadership in both houses, following a recent ruling by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Faisalabad. The court handed down prison sentences of up to 10 years to over 100 PTI leaders and workers, including key opposition figures, for their alleged involvement in the May 9 riots, triggered by Khan’s dramatic arrest in 2023.
Those de-notified include Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz, National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan, Sunni Ittehad Council chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and PTI Parliamentary Leader Zartaj Gul.
Three members of the Punjab Assembly – Muhammad Ansar Iqbal, Junaid Afzal Sahi, and Rai Muhammad Murtaza Iqbal – have also been disqualified.
Acting on the convictions, the ECP issued a formal notification disqualifying nine lawmakers under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution, which bars any person convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude and sentenced to two or more years in prison from holding elected office.
“A person shall be disqualified from being elected or chosen as, and from being, a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) if he has been, on conviction for any offence involving moral turpitude, sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years, unless a period of five years has elapsed since his release,” reads Article 63(1)(h).
The ECP stated the lawmakers, having been convicted and sentenced, now “stand disqualified under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution,” adding that, “Consequently, their seats have become vacant”.
All nine had been found guilty by the ATC for their alleged roles in the May 9 unrest, when PTI supporters, incensed by Khan’s arrest outside the Islamabad High Court, stormed and vandalised military installations, including martyrs’ memorials. The PTI had earlier declared that any attempt to arrest Khan would cross its “red line”.
In the aftermath, the military declared May 9 as a “Black Day”, calling it a “dark chapter” in national history. However, the PTI has consistently claimed the events were a “false-flag operation” orchestrated by the establishment to frame the party and crush dissent.
The ECP’s move landed just as PTI was reigniting street agitation to mark the anniversary of Khan’s arrest. With the latest disqualifications, the PML-N-led ruling alliance now sits virtually unchallenged in parliament, deepening the political vacuum and tightening the noose around what remains of the opposition.
Reacting to ECP’s decision, Ayub stated on X that he was grateful for the opportunity to serve as the leader of the opposition in NA.
Expressing that his leader, Imran Khan and his colleagues had nominated him, he said that he has been de-seated as MNA NA18 Haripur and opposition leader “due to a bogus verdict by the ATC Faisalabad Judge Sheikh Javed Iqbal, who has wrongly convicted me for 10 years”.
Ayub further stated that the court “relied on the evidence of prosecution witnesses who were rejected by the ATC Sargodha Judge last year, and we were acquitted”. He said the verdict proves “there is no rule of law in Pakistan”.
“This hybrid regime and its backers were perturbed by my stand as Leader of the Opposition for stating the truth and holding them accountable,” he asserted.
He vowed to challenge both the ATC verdict and the ECP disqualification in court, expressing hope that Chief Justice Yahya Afridi would take note of what he called the “deplorable state of affairs in Pakistan’s judiciary.”
Ayub ended on a defiant note, saying, “I was, I am, and I will be a worker of PM Imran Khan and PTI”.
