ISLAMABAD: The Elec­ti­­on Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of a disqualification reference against National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan until July 1, allowing him time to engage legal counsel.

As a five-member bench of the ECP, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sika­ndar Sultan Raja, took up the reference seeking the opposition leader’s disqualification — received from National As­­sembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq less than a week ago — Omar Ayub came to the rostrum only to inform the bench that he had yet to engage a lawyer.

He also pointed out that the budget was to be unveiled in a few days, and the budget document would also come before the Standing Committee on Finance, of which he is a member. He requested that the hearing be scheduled for some time in July.

Nisar Durrani, the ECP member from Sindh, noted that under the Constitution, the question of disqualification was to be decided by the commission within 90 days.

The commission, however, accepted Omar Ayub’s plea and allowed him time to appoint a lawyer while adjour­ning the hearing to July 1.

Later, talking to reporters Omar Ayub alleged that the NA speaker had forwarded the disqualification reference aga­inst him under pressure. He said the reference was based on the allegations rejec­ted by the respective returning officers in 2018, 2023 and 2024.

Letter to speaker

In a related development, Omar Ayub Khan has written to Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, seeking an attested copy and minutes of meetings that culminated in the decision to forward the reference, as well as an explanation of the legal basis for doing so.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2025