ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has disqualified Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz and National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, along with seven other PTI lawmakers.
According to an official ECP notification issued on August 5, 2025, the disqualifications follow orders from the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Faisalabad, which handed down convictions in three separate cases.
The lawmakers were disqualified under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution, which bars individuals convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude from remaining members of parliament.
Who has been disqualified?
The following parliamentarians have been disqualified and de-notified:
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Senator Syed Shibli Faraz (Opposition Leader, Senate)
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Omar Ayub Khan, MNA, NA-18 Haripur (Opposition Leader, National Assembly)
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Rai Haider Ali Khan, MNA, NA-96 Faisalabad-II
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Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza, MNA, NA-104 Faisalabad-X
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Rai Hassan Nawaz Khan, MNA, NA-143 Sahiwal-II
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Zartaj Gul, MNA, NA-185 D.G Khan-II
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Muhammad Ansar Iqbal, MPA, PP-73 Sargodha-II
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Junaid Afzal Sahi, MPA, PP-98 Faisalabad-I
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Rai Muhammad Murtaza Iqbal, MPA, PP-203 Sahiwal-VI
As a result, all nine have lost their seats in the National Assembly, Senate, and Provincial Assemblies, respectively.
Legal basis for disqualification
The ECP stated that the disqualification was implemented in pursuance of the ATC’s orders dated July 31, 2025, which convicted the lawmakers in connection with the May 9 violence cases and sentenced them to imprisonment.
Under Article 63(1)(h), any member found guilty of an offense involving moral turpitude and sentenced to a prison term of more than two years is disqualified from holding public office unless a court grants relief.
The notification added that the lawmakers’ seats are now officially vacant, and by-elections will be scheduled in accordance with the law.
