ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has voiced serious concern over the possible disqualification of 39 party lawmakers in connection with the May 9 cases.
In a statement, Barrister Gohar said 25 Punjab Assembly members, 11 MNAs, and three senators may face conviction over their alleged involvement in the May 9 riots. He warned that the party could lose a large number of parliamentarians if courts deliver guilty verdicts in these cases.
Gohar further noted that PTI members in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly are also at risk. If members are convicted in both May 9 and November 26 cases, the total number of affected lawmakers could rise to 75.
“There is no parliamentarian, including myself, who isn’t facing legal cases,” he stated. He added that at least six cases have been filed against him personally.
The PTI chairman also criticized restrictions on political activity. He said the party was barred from holding a public rally at D-Chowk and was instead told to gather at Sangjani.
His remarks came after a series of court rulings against PTI leaders this week. On Tuesday, an anti-terrorism court in Sargodha sentenced Punjab Opposition Leader Ahmed Khan Bachar and 32 party workers to 10 years in prison for their role in the May 9 riots.
Later the same day, an ATC in Lahore sentenced senior PTI leaders, including Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, and former Governor Umar Sarfraz Cheema, to 10 years imprisonment. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, however, was acquitted.
The threat of May 9 parliamentarians disqualification has raised political tension as PTI faces legal challenges on multiple fronts.
For more details, read how arrest warrants were issued for Arif Alvi and Gandapur in connection with recent political developments.
