PTI faces major setback in top parliamentary positions after ECP disqualification
ISLAMABAD – Three senior members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have lost their top parliamentary positions after being disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) due to their involvement in the May 9 cases, sources said on Friday.
Omar Ayub has been removed from the position of Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. Meanwhile, the roles of Parliamentary Leader and Deputy Parliamentary Leader, previously held by Zartaj Gul and Ahmad Chattha, have also been declared vacant.
This action was taken after the ECP de-notified several PTI lawmakers following their convictions by the special anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad. Out of 185 people accused in the May 9 cases, the court convicted 108 individuals and acquitted 77, including Fawad Chaudhry, Zain Qureshi, and Khayal Kastro.
The Speaker of the National Assembly officially announced the disqualifications and is now holding consultations with opposition members to appoint a new opposition leader. PTI-backed independent lawmakers will also need to submit new names for the now-vacant positions.
Omar Ayub has also been removed from the finance committee of the Public Accounts Committee.
Additionally, the National Assembly has withdrawn memberships from 15 standing committees, which were previously held by seven disqualified PTI lawmakers. Among the changes:
- Sahibzada Hamid Raza lost his role as Chairman of the Human Rights Committee.
- Zartaj Gul was removed as a member of the same committee.
- Rai Hassan Nawaz was removed as Chairman of the Railways Committee.
The reshuffle marks a major setback for PTI’s presence in parliament.
