The legal challenges faced by Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Umar Ayub compounded after an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Tuesday rejected his interim bail applications in 10 cases and ordered his arrest.

The ruling came on the grounds of his failure to appear for hearings.

Sources reveal that all these cases are related to the May 9 unrest in which Umar Ayub Khan has been named as a central figure.

Due to his continued absence, his bail was annulled, and the court has now directed that he be arrested and presented in court.

Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad also issued a contempt of court notice to Umar Ayub for failing to appear in cases relating to the May 9 unrest.

The court stressed that his repeated non-appearance was unacceptable and ordered the City Police Officer (CPO) of Faisalabad to ensure that Umar Ayub is presented in court by July 18.

In a parallel development, the Election Commission of Pakistan also held a hearing regarding a petition seeking Umar Ayub’s disqualification.

The petition, referred by the Speaker of the National Assembly, was heard by a five-member bench led by the Chief Election Commissioner.

However, Umar Ayub Khan failed to appear before the commission. The petitioner, Babar Nawaz Khan, argued that Umar Ayub no longer met the requirements of being “Sadiq and Ameen” (truthful and honest) under the law.

Election Commission officials confirmed that the Peshawar High Court had issued a stay order on the matter, which is set to be reviewed in a hearing on August 5.

As a result, the Election Commission deferred further proceedings based on this stay order.