Omar Ayub now faces another case concerning asset statement

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan now faces another case concerning the details of his statement of assets and liabilities (Form-B) for the last year and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has fixed the matter for hearing on July 1.

A disqualification reference has already been filed against him under articles 62 and 63, forwarded to the electoral body a few weeks ago. The ECP held its initial hearing last month and granted Omar Ayub a one-month extension on his request to hire a legal counsel.

According to the ECP’s cause list, besides the first hearing in the assets case, the commission’s bench will also resume proceedings on the disqualification reference against Omar Ayub, a senior Pakistan Te-hreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader who has also served as the party’s secretary-general.

During the first hearing of the reference, the opposition leader appeared before the five-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, and sought more time to prepare and engage a lawyer, citing his commitments related to the federal budget. He requested that the next hearing be scheduled for late June or July, as he is a member of the House Finance Committee and the budget session was about to begin at the time.

Sindh ECP member Nisar Ahmad Durrani reminded him of the 90-day time limit for deciding the speaker’s reference. However, the ECP later accepted his request and adjourned the hearing until J