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.

“Those disqualified include Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bachar, Member of National Assembly Mohammad Ahmed Chattha, and Senator Ejaz Chaudhry,” it added. 

Chattha was a member of the National Assembly from NA-66 constituency in Wazirabad while Bachar was a member of the Punjab Assembly from its PP-87 constituency in Mianwali. 

The PTI had rejected the ruling last week, calling it politically motivated and part of a broader campaign to dismantle the party through legal and administrative pressure. The government denied these allegations, with Minister of State for Law and Justice Aqeel Malik saying the proceedings followed all constitutional procedures. 

The sentencing took place amid heightened tensions in Pakistan’s largest province, Punjab, where PTI-aligned lawmakers have clashed repeatedly with the ruling coalition.

The party earlier this month launched a nationwide 90-day anti-government protest, which Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said would reach its “peak” on August 5. The date marks two years since Khan was arrested on corruption allegations and has remained in jail since then.