ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday disqualified three Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers — Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, National Assembly member Muhammad Ahmad Chattha, and Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar — following their convictions in cases linked to the May 9 riots.
According to notifications issued by the ECP, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) found all three lawmakers guilty of terrorism-related offences and sentenced them to 10 years in prison. As a result, the ECP declared them disqualified under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution, which bars convicted individuals from holding public office.
Muhammad Ahmad Chattha, elected from NA-66 Wazirabad, and Ahmad Khan Bhachar, elected from PP-87 Mianwali-III, have been stripped of their National Assembly and Punjab Assembly seats, respectively. The ECP announced that the notifications declaring them as returned candidates stand cancelled with immediate effect.
Senator Ejaz Chaudhry was also found guilty by an ATC and, following his conviction, no longer qualifies to serve as a senator.
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The disqualification follows a series of court rulings related to violent protests and vandalism that erupted nationwide on May 9, 2023, after the arrest of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan in a corruption case.
In a related development, an ATC in Sargodha last week sentenced Bhachar and several PTI workers to 10 years in prison each. Meanwhile, another ATC in Lahore acquitted six PTI leaders, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Hamza Azeem, due to lack of evidence. However, the court handed down 10-year sentences to 10 others, including senior PTI leader Dr Yasmin Rashid, in a case related to inflammatory speeches and vandalism at Sherpao Bridge in Lahore.
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