1st LD: Pakistani court disqualifies parliament speaker over alleged polls fraud

Pakistan's parliament speaker Ayaz Sadiq was disqualified on Saturday over alleged rigging in the 2013 general election and re-election was ordered on his National Assembly seat, officials said.

Ayaz Sadiq, a leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML- N) party, had defeated an influential opposition leader Imran Khan in the eastern city of Lahore.

Khan, chief of the opposition Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf or Justice Movement, had challenged the election in a tribunal over allegations of fraud in the 2013 parliamentary polls.

A spokesman for Election Commission in Islamabad told the media that Sadiq's election would be de-notified after receiving the verdict of the election tribunal.

The disqualified speaker of National Assembly or Lower House of the parliament said he would appeal against the verdict in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Judge of the Election Tribunal Kazim Ali Malik declared the election of Ayaz Sadiq as null and void and ordered election on the National Assembly seat. The elections are to be held within two months if the Supreme Court does not stay the verdict of the Election Tribunal.

Imran Khan, who was in Lahore at the time of the announcement of the verdict, congratulated his party's workers on the decision. Dozens of PTI activists had gathered outside the Election Tribunal building to celebrate the verdict.

PTI had earlier alleged rigging the parliamentary elections. However, a Judicial Commission last month in a landmark ruling termed the elections fair.

Imran Khan's lawyer, Anees Hashmi, said the tribunal in a short verdict has "endorsed the stance" of his client. He said the verdict has also put a question over the rulings Ayaz Sadiq has given as Speaker of National Assembly over the past two years.

Senior leader of PTI, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, said Imran Khan will speak to supporters later Saturday night over the verdict. Endi