The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday disqualified PTI lawmaker Abdul Latif Chitrali and issued a notification declaring his seat vacant in view of his conviction in a May 9 case.
The disqualification petitions against Chitrali were heard by a five-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja. Chitrali's lawyer appeared before the commission.
During the hearing, the ECP's director general of law stated that the commission is not required to hear petitions against convicted individuals. The CEC asked if it meant that there was no need to hear references or petitions against such individuals.
"Then the commission's role is only to act upon received court decisions?" he asked.
Chitrali's lawyer contended that the ECP does not receive complaints directly and only the National Assembly speaker can notify it regarding disqualification after hearing the concerned party within the first 30 days. He said the notices they received also did not cite any specific constitutional article.
He argued that disqualification is not automatic upon conviction, and the commission must examine whether the offense falls under Articles 63(g) or 63(h) of the Constitution.
The ECP member from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa noted that the Constitution clearly states that a person sentenced to more than two years is ineligible to remain a lawmaker. The ECP Punjab member remarked that the Constitution empowers the ECP to decide on references sent by the NA speaker.
During the hearing, Chitrali's lawyer referred to the PTI founder's disqualification case and mentioned CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja in that context, prompting laughter in the courtroom.
Later, the ECP reserved its decision and announced it would issue a verdict by evening. Subsequently, the ECP rejected Chitrali's petition and declared the NA-1 Chitral seat vacant.
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on May 30 sentenced Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Abdul Latif Chitrali to 10-years in prison for attacking a police station during the violent riots that broke out across the country after May 9, 2023 arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan.
MNA Abdul Latif Chitrali was elected from NA-1 Chitral with the support of the PTI in Feb 8 polls.
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