ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has disqualified multiple Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub and Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz, following their convictions in cases related to the May 9 riots.
The ECP issued official notifications under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution, which disqualifies individuals convicted in a court of law from holding parliamentary positions. Other disqualified members include MNAs Zartaj Gul, Rai Haider Ali, Rai Hassan Nawaz, SIC Chairman Hamid Raza, and MPAs Ansar Iqbal, Junaid Afzal Sahi, and Murtaza Iqbal.
The disqualifications follow verdicts issued by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Faisalabad, which sentenced several PTI leaders to 10 years in prison. MPA Junaid Afzal Sahi received a three-year sentence, while others including Sheikh Rashid Shafiq and Sahibzada Hamid Raza were also handed 10-year terms.
The court also convicted additional PTI figures such as Rai Hassan Nawaz, Farrukh Agha, Kanwal Shauzab, and several others. In contrast, former PTI members Fawad Chaudhry, Zain Qureshi, and Khayal Kastro were acquitted.
On July 22, an ATC in Lahore sentenced leaders including Yasmin Rashid, Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed, and Senator Ejaz Chaudhry to 10 years over arson and vandalism, while acquitting Shah Mahmood Qureshi and others.
The May 9 violence erupted nationwide after the arrest of Imran Khan, with PTI workers attacking army installations, including the Corps Commander’s residence in Lahore. The military was deployed across several provinces to restore order.
