ECP disqualifies PTI Senator Murad Saeed

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has disqualified PTI Senator Murad Saeed and issued his de-notification, according to an official notification.

The ECP stated that Murad Saeed had been sentenced to 10 years in prison by an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi. His disqualification has been carried out under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi delivered a verdict in the May 9 General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case earlier in March, sentencing 47 proclaimed offenders, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) figures, to 10 years imprisonment each, along with a fine of Rs500,000 per convict and the confiscation of their movable and immovable properties. Among the offenders was Murad Saeed, along with other top PTI leaders.

Under Article 63(1)(h) of Pakistan’s Constitution, a lawmaker stands disqualified if “he has been, on conviction for any offence involving moral turpitude, sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years, unless a period of five years has elapsed since his release”.

Following the decision, the Senate’s general seat from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has been declared vacant.