ISLAMABAD – The National Assembly (NA) yesterday formally announced disqualification of several members from opposition benches including leader of opposition Omar Ayub.
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, amid strong protest from opposition members, informed about the disqualification of several members by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The chair announced that the ECP had declared Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan, Parliamentary Leader Zartaj Gul, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Ahmed Chattha, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Jamshed Dasti and Rai Haider Ali disqualified from their seats.
“It was my duty to formally place on record during the proceedings,” said the national assembly speaker, formally marking the removal of these members from the current assembly.
The national assembly will currently run without leader of opposition till the opposition benches nominate any opposition leader and formally request the Speaker’s office for its election.
Earlier, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said that state media organizations including Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, PTV and the Associated Press of Pakistan have established mechanisms in place to effectively counter misinformation.
The minister, during the Question-Hour, informed the house that these platforms are successfully countering the anti-Pakistan narrative backed by enemies of Pakistan.
Tarar said they have established the country’s first Digital Communication Department which is playing a key role in countering misinformation and disinformation through its twitter handle Fact Checker.
“Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in collaboration with other relevant departments is implementing multiple strategies to educate the public about identifying and relying on credible sources of information,” he said, adding that there is a central focus on promoting digital and media literacy across various segments of society.
He said special emphasis is placed on youth and students to build their capacity for discerning accurate information in the age of rapid digital communication.
Meanwhile, the Senate Secretariat also removed Senator Syed Shibli Faraz from the position of the Leader of the Opposition in the House following his disqualification by the Election Commission due to his conviction in a May 9 riots case.
The Secretariat issued the notification of removal despite an earlier week’s order by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) halting the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from taking any action against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) opposition leaders in the Senate and the National Assembly.
The identical orders issued by the higher court said that their convictions were not final and the electoral watchdog had not waited for the outcome of their appeals before disqualifying them.
“The office of the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate has become vacant with effect from 5th August, 2025” following disqualification and de-notification of Senator Faraz by the ECP from being the member of the House under Article 63 of the Constitution, said an order issued by the Senate Secretary Syed Hasnain Haider.
The PTI that enjoys a majority on the opposition benches of the Upper House of Parliament still has the leverage to get appointed a new opposition leader of its own choice.
Last month, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Faisalabad sentenced over 100 PTI workers and leaders, including Senator Faraz, Leader of the Opposition in the NA Omar Ayub Khan, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Zartaj Gul Wazir, to 10 years of imprisonment for their involvement in cases related to May 9 violence.
On August 5, the electoral watchdog disqualified the Senate and NA opposition leaders and other PTI lawmakers following their convictions by the courts.
On May 9, 2023, PTI workers and supporters had staged violent demonstrations throughout the country, to protest the party founder Imran Khan’s arrest, vandalizing military installations and government buildings.