PHC halts appointments of new NA, Senate opposition leaders
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday issued a stay order for the appointments of new opposition leaders in the National Assembly and the Senate following the disqualification and removal of PTI’s Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz.
On August 5, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had disqualified Ayub and Faraz, along with other opposition MNAs and MPAs, following their convictions in three cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots.
Subsequently, on August 8, both leaders were removed from their posts in notifications issued by the NA and Senate secretariats.
A division bench comprising Justices Arshad Ali and Dr Khurshid Iqbal took up the petitions filed earlier today by Ayub and Faraz against the denotification of their parliamentary roles.
PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan appeared as the counsel for both petitioners.
The bench issued notices to the ECP and other respondents, directing them to halt the appointments for the opposition leader in both houses of the parliament, which are currently vacant.
The court adjourned the hearing till August 15 (Friday), seeking replies from the respondents.
A PHC bench comprising Justice Ali and Justice Farah Jamshed had also barred the ECP from taking any action against Ayub and Faraz on August 6, but to no avail since the order came a day after their disqualification.
The court had also granted the two leaders, as well as Zartaj Gul, protective bail till August 20.
ATC sentences pile up
A Faisalabad anti-terrorism court on July 31 had sentenced over PTI 100 leaders and workers to jail terms of up to 10 years in connection with the riots. Ayub, Faraz, PTI’s Zartaj Gul and Sunni Ittehad Council chief Hamid Raza were among the key opposition leaders handed rigorous imprisonment.
They were convicted under sections 109 (punishment for abetment) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) in a case registered at Ghulam Muhammadabad police station.
In another case registered at the same police station, 60 out of 67 accused were convicted, while seven were acquitted.
In the case filed at the Civil Lines police station, 107 out of 108 accused were sentenced to 10 years in prison and one person was handed a three-year jail term, while 77 were acquitted.
Former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, MNA Zain Qureshi (son of PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi), MPA Khayal Ahmad Kastro and Faizullah Kamuka were acquitted in all three cases.
The judge had issued arrest warrants for those convicted who were not present in court and had directed the police to arrest all convicts and bring them before the court for imprisonment.
Separately, on July 23, a Lahore ATC had handed Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed and other PTI leaders 10-year rigorous imprisonment in a case related to vandalism at Sherpao Bridge. However, Qureshi and five others were acquitted.
The same day, a Sargodha ATC had sentenced dozens of PTI leaders, including then-Punjab Assembly opposition leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachar, in another May 9 riots case registered at the Musakhel police station.
More to follow