Lahore/Islamabad:
PTI’s political committee has decided to postpone the appointment of the new opposition leaders in the National Assembly and the Senate for now in view of the order of stay issued by the Superior Court of Peshawar (PHC).
At a meeting held on Sunday to review the current political situation, the Political Committee agreed that Shibli Faraz and Omar Ayub will continue to occupy their respective positions in the Senate and the National Assembly as opposition leaders.
An anti -terrorism court (ATC) in Faisalabad on July 31 condemned to one hundred leaders and workers of PTI, including Shibli and Omar in a case of May 9, 2023, sentenced them to ten years in prison.
The Electoral Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which received a warning of Suo Motu de la Conseciona, disqualified PTI leaders on August 5. Later, on August 7, the president of the National Assembly, Ayaz Sadiq, issued a notification that discouraged Omar and declared the vacancy.
On August 8, the Senate Secretariat also issued a notification, stating that Faraz’s disqualification on August 5 had resulted in the loss of their membership in the Senate and its position as opposition leader in the Upper House. The PTI challenged these notifications.
The PHC on August 12 prevented the upper and lower cameras of Parliament from appointing new opposition leaders in view of the condemnation, discomfort and denotification of Shibli Faraz and Omar Ayub.
A division bank comprised of Judge Syed Arshad Ali and the Judge, Dr. Khurshid Iqbal, issued this order while listening to requests presented on behalf of Shibli and Omar by the president of PTI, the lawyer Gohar Ali Khan. The PHC on August 21 extended the stay.
According to a statement issued to the media after the meeting, the Committee reviewed the current political situation and made consultations on several issues.
For the next partial elections, Munazza Fatima was nominated for PP-87 and Ain Ahmad of NA-66, while the candidates for the remaining seats will be announced soon. The meeting also noted that the land realities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab differ significantly.
He condemned the “fascist tactics” used against PTI leaders and workers, qualifying the arrest of Aleem Khan’s children as the worst example of political victimization.
The police in the provincial capital of Punjab on August 21 arrested Aleema’s son, Shahrez Khan. For charges of resorting to vandalism on May 9, 2023. A day later, they also arrested their second child, Sherhah Khan, for the same positions. Both Shahrez and Shershah are nephews of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
According to the statement, lawyer Ali Bukhari met Imran Khan in the Adiala prison. During the meeting, the founder of PTI emphasized that the legal battle will be fought with full force.
