ISLAMABAD: The Opposition leader’s seat was declared vacant in NA after the disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Omar Ayub. The National Assembly Secretariat issued a notification confirming the development.
The decision followed recent court rulings against several PTI lawmakers. The Speaker of the National Assembly is now expected to invite nominations for the new opposition leader soon.
According to the notification, Omar Ayub lost his parliamentary position under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution. This provision bars convicted individuals from holding seats in the assembly. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had earlier disqualified Ayub and several other leaders after their convictions in the May 9 riots cases.
Other disqualified lawmakers include Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz, MNAs Zartaj Gul, Rai Haider Ali, SIC chairman Hamid Raza, and Rai Hassan Nawaz. Several provincial assembly members, including Ansar Iqbal, Junaid Afzal Sahi, and Muhammad Murtaza Iqbal, also lost their seats.
The disqualifications came after the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Faisalabad handed down prison sentences to the convicted leaders. Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, and Zartaj Gul each received a 10-year sentence. Junaid Afzal Sahi was sentenced to three years in prison.
Some PTI members, including Fawad Chaudhry, Zain Qureshi, and Khayal Kastro, were acquitted in the same cases. However, a large number of PTI leaders faced convictions, including Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Chaudhry Bilal Ijaz, Kanwal Shauzab, and Mehr Muhammad Javed.
With the opposition leader’s position now vacant, the National Assembly will soon begin the process of selecting a new leader. This move marks a significant political shift in the lower house following the May 9 case verdicts.
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