Three former lawmakers barred from contesting elections in Pakistan
The Election Commission of Pakistan has again declared three former members of the National Assembly — Zartaj Gul, Sahibzada Hamid Raza and Abdul Latif — ineligible to take part in elections. The reason was their failure to submit declarations of assets and liabilities for the 2024–2025 financial year.
Restrictions until declarations are submitted
As Dawn reports, the restriction will remain in force until the politicians submit the required declaration of assets and liabilities on Form B. The commission cited Article 137 of Pakistan's Elections Act, 2017.
The Election Commission said that, under a decision dated August 7, 2026, the former lawmakers were barred from contesting general and by-elections, Senate elections and local elections.
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Previous decisions and convictions
According to Dawn, Zartaj Gul and Sahibzada Hamid Raza were first declared ineligible to contest elections in the first week of August 2025. Abdul Latif was barred from contesting elections on July 29, 2025, in constituency NA-1, which covers Upper and Lower Chitral.
In July 2025, an anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad, according to the publication, sentenced more than 100 PTI party leaders and activists, including opposition figures, to prison terms of up to 10 years. Among those sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, Dawn names Zartaj Gul and Hamid Raza.
Under Article 63(1)(h) of Pakistan's Constitution, a person convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude and sentenced to imprisonment for at least two years cannot be a member of parliament for five years after release. The Election Commission subsequently announced the disqualification of legislators convicted in this case.
