PHC halts appointments of new opposition leaders in Senate, NA

Peshawar (Web Desk): The Peshawar High Court (PHC) ON Tuesday issued a stay order temporarily blocking the appointment of new opposition leaders in both Senate and National Assembly.

This decision came in the wake of the recent disqualification and removal of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Shibli Faraz and Omar Ayub from their respective positions.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had disqualified the two politicians, along with several other opposition lawmakers, on August 5 following their convictions in three separate cases connected to the May 9, 2023 unrest.

Subsequent to the ECP’s ruling, the secretariats of the National Assembly and Senate formally issued notifications on August 8, officially ending Ayub’s and Faraz’s tenures in their parliamentary roles.

In response, both leaders filed petitions with the PHC challenging the legality of their removal. The matter was heard by a division bench consisting of Justices Arshad Ali and Dr. Khurshid Iqbal.

Representing the petitioners was PTI’s interim chairman, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.

After hearing the arguments, the court ordered the ECP and other relevant parties to refrain from appointing new individuals to the vacant opposition leader posts until further notice. The case has been adjourned until August 15, by which time the respondents are required to submit their official replies.

Notably, a day after the disqualification, on August 6, a separate PHC bench had issue a protective order to prevent the ECP from acting against Ayub and Faraz.

However, this directive came too late to reverse the disqualifications. In a related development, the court also granted protective bail to Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, and Zartaj Gul, which will remain in effect until August 20.

The unfolding legal proceedings continue to influence the evolving political environment within Pakistan’s parliament.