Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, and Zartaj Gul have filed petitions in the Peshawar High Court (PHC), challenging their recent convictions and political disqualifications.
The move comes in response to legal actions taken against them over alleged involvement in the May 9 riots. All three leaders were previously convicted by Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATCs) and subsequently disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz have submitted separate petitions questioning their ECP disqualification by the ECP. They argue that the commission removed them from their respective parliamentary positions without giving them a proper hearing.
Shibli Faraz, who was serving as Senate Opposition Leader, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by an ATC. Following the verdict, the ECP issued a notification disqualifying him and revoking his Senate seat.
Similarly, Omar Ayub, who was the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, was also sentenced to 10 years and denotified from his seat under similar circumstances.
In their joint plea, the two leaders have requested the court to declare the ECP’s disqualification orders unconstitutional and nullified.
Meanwhile, PTI MNA Zartaj Gul has approached the Peshawar High Court seeking protective bail. She was also sentenced in absentia to 10 years imprisonment by an ATC in Faisalabad.
Gul, in her petition, stated that she intends to challenge the verdict in the Lahore High Court. She has asked the PHC to grant her protective bail so she can pursue the appeal without fear of immediate arrest.
ECP Disqualifications Under Article 63(1)(h)
Earlier, the ECP disqualified Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, and Zartaj Gul under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution. This article bars individuals convicted of offenses involving moral turpitude or sentenced to imprisonment of two years or more from holding parliamentary office.
Other disqualified lawmakers include Rai Haider Ali, Hamid Raza, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Ansar Iqbal, Junaid Afzal Sahi, and Muhammad Murtaza Iqbal. Notifications for their ECP disqualifications were also issued following their convictions related to the May 9 riots.
The ECP disqualifications came after the ATC sentenced multiple PTI leaders to 10 years in prison for their alleged roles in the violent protests that erupted after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
All three PTI leaders, Ayub, Faraz, and Gul, face similar charges under anti-terrorism laws. The charges stem from their alleged involvement in attacks on state institutions and inciting violence during the May 9 events.
The petitions filed in the Peshawar High Court challenge both the convictions and the ECP’s actions. All three leaders have requested urgent hearings.
Earlier, the ECP disqualified key PTI leaders, including Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz, in a major political development.
