- Both houses to nominate new opposition leaders to replace Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) secretariat removed on Friday three Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders from key parliamentary posts following the disqualification of several party lawmakers.
Omar Ayub was stripped of the position of opposition leader, while Zartaj Gul lost her role as parliamentary leader, and Ahmad Chattha was removed as deputy parliamentary leader.
A special anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Faisalabad, earlier this month, sentenced top PTI leaders to up to 10 years in prison in cases pertaining to the May 9 protests.
Opposition leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, opposition leader in the Senate Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul, MNA Sahibzada Hamid Raza and former MNA Sheikh Rashid Shafiq were among the 108 PTI leaders convicted out of the 185 implicated in the cases, while 77 others were acquitted.
The chamber allocated to the opposition leader was also taken back from the party. The speaker informed the House of the members’ disqualification under assembly rules. Consultations are underway between the opposition and the speaker for the appointment of a new opposition leader.
PTI-backed independents will be required to submit new nominations for the posts of parliamentary leader and deputy parliamentary leader.
Ayub was also delisted from the public accounts committee and finance committee.
NA also withdrew memberships of 15 standing committees from seven lawmakers belonging to PTI, removing three senior leaders from key posts.
Sahibzada Hamid Raza was stripped of the chairmanship of the standing committee on Human Rights, while Zartaj Gul lost her membership in the same committee. Rai Hassan Nawaz was removed as chairperson of the standing committee on railways.
The changes follow the disqualification of several PTI members by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The ATC had earlier issued arrest warrants for 50 PTI leaders in multiple protest-related cases registered at various police stations in Islamabad ahead of the party’s planned August 5 protest. The warrants, issued by Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain, included prominent figures such as former president Arif Alvi, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Asad Qaiser, Hammad Azhar, Faisal Javed, Salman Akram Raja, Rauf Hassan, Murad Saeed, and Ahmad Niazi.
The warrants for 41 PTI leaders were issued after nine others were issued earlier in connection with a case registered at Karachi Company Police Station.
