ISLAMABAD: Several leaders associated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) found themselves in limbo awaiting confirmation of their bails after the Punjab government lodged a reference against the judge presiding over the May 9 riots case.
Judge Ijaz Asif of the Anti-Terrorism Court Rawalpindi postponed proceedings until April 30 upon discovering the reference against him.
Among those present in court were PTI leaders Zartaj Gul, Shaheryar Afridi, Raja Basharat, Ajmal Sabir, and Seemabia Tahir, along with Sheikh Rasheed and Shireen Mazari.
However, the accused were not provided copies of the charges against them.
Mazari, who distanced herself from PTI shortly after May 9, criticized the reference, denouncing it as a mockery of the legal system.
She noted the irony of the government initiating the reference despite being responsible for appointing the judge.
Moreover, Dr. Yasmin Rashid, a leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) currently incarcerated, has contested the victory of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the NA-130 constituency.
She submitted a petition to the election tribunal of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday, arguing that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued Sharif’s victory notification in violation of the law.
It’s worth noting that the challenge to Nawaz Sharif’s victory in NA-130 was initially raised in the LHC on February 10.
However, on February 13, the LHC dismissed Yasmin Rashid’s petition against Nawaz Sharif’s victory in NA-130.
Subsequently, on February 14, the ECP issued a notification confirming Nawaz Sharif’s win in NA-130.
Nawaz Sharif secured victory in the constituency with 179,310 votes, while PTI-supported Dr. Yasmin Rashid received 104,485 votes.
Meanwhile, Lahore High Court Justice Shahid Kareem invalidated the victory notification of PML-N leader Azhar Qayyum in NA-18 Gujranwala and reinstated Bilal Ejaz Chaudhry of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) as the Member of the National Assembly (MNA).
The decision came after hearing the plea filed by Bilal Ejaz Chaudhry of the PTI-backed candidates in Sunni Unity Council (SIC). Chaudhry had secured victory with a margin of eight thousand votes.
