PTI’s Ahmad Khan Bhachar loses his opposition leader seat in PA

PTI leader Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar, who had been disqualified following his conviction in a May 9 case over a week ago, has now lost his seat as the leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The Punjab Assembly secretariat on Thursday notified that the seat had fallen vacant. 

Over a week ago, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Sargodha had sentenced Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachar and other party workers to 10 years in prison each.

They were found guilty of involvement in creating law and order disturbances, anarchy, and arson during the May 9 riots, which erupted following the arrest of the former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan.

The ATC judge delivered the verdict after concluding that the prosecution had established its case. 

The defence counsels argued that the accused were not involved in the May 9 cases, claiming that these were politically motivated cases.

They further stated that no substantial evidence was available to link their clients to the offences outlined in the First Information Report (FIR).

Reporter: Usman Khadim Kamboh