PESHAWAR; Top Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including Senate Opposition Leader Senator Shibli Faraz and National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan, have filed petitions in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) challenging their recent disqualification by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Both leaders have asked the court to overturn the ECP’s ruling, terming it unlawful and beyond the Commission’s constitutional mandate. The legal challenge comes a day after the ECP de-notified nine PTI lawmakers following their convictions in cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots.
The de-notified individuals include five MNAs, one senator, and three members of the Punjab Assembly. Among those stripped of their seats are Omar Ayub (NA-18 Haripur), Rai Hassan Nawaz (NA-143 Sahiwal-III), Zartaj Gul (NA-185 DG Khan-II), Rai Haider Ali (NA-96 Faisalabad-II), and Sahibzada Hamid Raza (NA-104 Faisalabad-X).
Punjab Assembly members removed include Muhammad Ansar Iqbal (PP-73 Sargodha-III), Junaid Afzal (PP-98 Faisalabad-I), and Rai Murtaza Iqbal (PP-203 Sahiwal-VI).
Their disqualification followed a verdict from an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Faisalabad, which recently sentenced several PTI leaders to 10 years in prison in connection with the violent protests that erupted on May 9, 2023.
Out of the 185 individuals tried, 108 were convicted, while 77—including former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry, Zain Qureshi, and Khayal Kastro—were acquitted.
Meanwhile, PTI leader Zartaj Gul has been granted protective bail by the PHC after her conviction in the same May 9 case.
In her plea, she stated her intent to appeal the verdict in the Lahore High Court (LHC) and sought protection from arrest to pursue her legal options. After reviewing her case, the court approved her protective bail.
Speaking to the media, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan condemned the ECP’s actions, arguing that the Commission lacked the legal authority to unilaterally disqualify lawmakers. He claimed this was the first time the Election Commission was functioning under a court-issued stay order.
Barrister Gohar called the disqualifications “unlawful and unconstitutional,” adding that the PTI would challenge them at every available legal forum. He also defended the party’s August 5 protests, saying they were held in over 170 districts, tehsils, and union councils across the country.
According to Gohar, the demonstrations were a clear sign that public support remains strong for PTI’s founding chairman, Imran Khan, who continues to face multiple legal battles while imprisoned.
