PHC bars ECP from taking action against de-notified PTI MPs
PESHAWAR: Providing relief to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Parliamentarians including the opposition leaders in the National Assembly and the Senate, the Peshawar High Court on Wednesday barred the Election Commission of Pakistan from taking further action against the disqualified PTI lawmakers.
The Election commission of Pakistan, it may be recalled, had on Tuesday de-notified nine PTI lawmakers Including Umer Ayub Khan and Shibli Faraz following their convictions in the May 9 cases.
In a two-page order, the PHC provided an interim relief to the PTI members of parliament who have approached the court to challenge the ECP’s disqualification move following their conviction in the May 9 riots case.
Earlier, in the day, the opposition leaders in the Senate and National Assembly — Senator Shibli Faraz and Omar Ayub Khan, respectively, had challenged the ECP’s ruling, terming them “unlawful” and pleaded with the court to overturn the ruling.
The Peshawar High Court, announcing its reserved ruling on the pleas submitted by PTI’s Omar Ayub Khan and Shibli Faraz, issued notices to the election commission and other parties before adjourning the hearing till August 20.
The order stated the petitioners were convicted by the Faisalabad’s anti-terrorism court and at the time of the verdict, they were not present in the said court. It further stated that the petitioners wanted to appeal against their convictions in the Lahore High Court as according to their lawyers, the top electoral watchdog disqualified them without hearing them.
Five members of the National Assembly, one senator, and three members of the Punjab Assembly were de-notified by the electoral watchdog
The list includes Omar Ayub (MNA from NA-18 Haripur), Rai Hassan Nawaz (MNA from NA-143 Sahiwal-III), Zartaj Gul (MNA from NA-185 DG Khan-II), Rai Haider Ali (MNA from NA-96 Faisalabad-II), and Sahibzada Hamid Raza (MNA from NA-104 Faisalabad-X) from the lower house of parliament. Punjab Assembly members Muhammad Ansar Iqbal (MPA from PP-73 Sargodha-III) Junaid Afzal (MPA from PP-98 Faisalabad-I), and Rai Muhammad Murtaza Iqbal (MPA from PP-203 Sahiwal-VI) were also among those de-notified by the ECP. NNI
