PTI lawmakers’ disqualification: Nine NA, six PA, two Senate seats fall vacant

ISLAMABAD: With the recent disqualifications of two more legislators of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) by the electoral body, the number of vacant seats - previously held by the PTI lawmakers in National Assembly, Punjab Assembly and Senate - has reached 17. These included nine NA, six PA and two Senate seats.

Last week, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified PTI’s Shahid Javed and Muhammad Ismael from PA seats – PP-115 Faisalabad and PP-116 Faisalabad respectively — following their convictions by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in 9th May riots cases.

Before Javed and Ismael, 14 PTI legislators – Abdul Latif (NA-1 Chitral), Omar Ayub Khan (NA-18 Haripur), Ahmed Chattha (NA-66 Wazirabad), Rai Haider Ali (NA-96 Faisalabad), Sahibzada Hamid Raza (NA-104 Faisalabad), Rai Hassan Nawaz (NA-143 Sahiwal), Jamshaid Dasti (NA-175 Muzaffargarh), Zartaj Gul (NA-185 Dera Ghazi Khan), Ansar Iqbal (PP-73 Sargodha), Ahmad Khan (PP-87 Mianwali), Junaid Afzal Sahi (PP-98 Faisalabad), Rai Murtaza Iqbal (PP-203 Sahiwal), Shibli Faraz (Senate) and Ejaz Chaudhary (Senate) were disqualified by the ECP following their convictions by the courts.

Except Dasti, the other 13 lawmakers were disqualified by the ECP keeping in view their convictions by the ATCs concerned in 9th May riots’ cases.

Dasti was disqualified by the electoral entity on the charges of having fake educational credentials.

Of the 17 seats, NA-129 Lahore is the only seat that fell vacant due to a lawmaker’s death, and not due to a legislator’s disqualification, after PTI’s Mian Azhar passed away following protracted illness in July.

By-elections on five seats have been postponed due to stay orders issued by the respective courts. These seats are: one general Senate seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vacated by Faraz, and four NA seats— NA-1 Chitral, NA-18 Haripur, NA-175 Muzaffargarh and NA-185 Dera Ghazi Khan.

Of the remaining 12 seats, the poll body has announced by-elections on 10 seats.

Of them, by-poll on one general Senate from Punjab, vacated by Chaudhary, is scheduled this 9 September.

The by-elections on two NA seats and a PA seat — NA-66 Wazirabad, NA-129 Lahore and PP-87 Mianwali are scheduled on 18th September 2025.

By-elections on three seats each of NA and PA are scheduled on 5th October. These seats are: NA-96 Faisalabad, NA-104 Faisalabad, NA-143 Sahiwal, PP-73 Sargodha, PP-98 Faisalabad and PP-203 Sahiwal.

The by-elections on PP-115 and PP-116 are likely to be announced in the coming days.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025