ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has disqualified nine members of parliament, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Senator Shibli Faraz and MNA Omar Ayub, following their convictions in cases related to the May 9 riots.
The disqualification follows verdicts issued by the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Faisalabad on July 31, where 196 individuals were sentenced in three separate cases linked to the violent protests that erupted on May 9, 2023.
Among those disqualified are Senator Shibli Faraz, MNA Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Rai Haider Ali, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Ansar Iqbal (Punjab Assembly), Junaid Afzal Sahi (Punjab Assembly), and Rai Muhammad Murtaza Iqbal (Punjab Assembly).
The ATC sentenced Shibli Faraz, Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, and Hamid Raza each to 10 years in prison. Junaid Afzal Sahi was handed a three-year jail term. In earlier proceedings, the court sentenced 168 individuals to 10 years in prison in connection with two of the May 9 cases.
Following these court rulings, the Election Commission declared the seats of all nine parliamentarians vacant and officially de-notified them from their respective positions.
