ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s election regulator this week disqualified three lawmakers of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party following their anti-terror convictions earlier this month in the May 9 case.
A Pakistani court in the eastern city of Sargodha last Tuesday convicted prominent members of the opposition PTI. These included Ahmed Khan Bachar, the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, along with federal lawmakers Ahmed Chattha and Bilal Ejaz, who were handed 10-year imprisonment sentences. PTI’s Senator Ejaz Chaudhary was also slapped with a 10-year jail sentence following his conviction.
The case pertains to nationwide unrest and violent protests on May 9, 2023, when Khan, Pakistan’s most popular opposition figure, was arrested by paramilitary forces in Islamabad that day on corruption allegations. The arrest triggered nationwide demonstrations, some of which turned violent, including attacks on military installations and public property. In response, the government launched a sweeping crackdown, arresting thousands of PTI members and supporters. Dozens were charged under anti-terrorism laws, and some cases were referred to military courts.
“The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday disqualified three Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers after their conviction in the May 9 cases by the court,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
