On Sunday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) officially expelled five of its members of the National Assembly for challenging the party’s instructions and voting in favor of the 26th constitutional amendment-a move that the party called “blatant oath, loyalty and parliamentary discipline”.
The expulsions were confirmed through official notifications issued by the president of the PTI, lawyer Gohar Ali Khan. The legislators – Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, Zahoor Elahi, Usman Ali, Mubarak Zeb and Muhammad Ilyas Chaudhry – were elected on PTI tickets and, according to the party, had committed to maintain its parliamentary position.
An official PTI press release indicated that the party’s parliamentary meeting on September 2, 2024, had unanimously decided to oppose the 26th amendment at all stages. These instructions were submitted to the president of the National Assembly on September 5 for record. However, on October 21, the five legislators voted in favor of the bill, allowing the government to adopt it with 225 votes – just one above the required 224.
After the vote, PTI published proof of proof of proof to the MNA on November 5, asking why they should not be disqualified for defection and violation of the discipline of the party under articles 62 and 63. An audience committee has been trained, but none of the legislators responded or appeared.
The party also claimed that the MNA had joined another parliamentary party by taking seats on the benches of the Treasury and attending its meetings, which, according to it, constitutes a formal defection under constitutional provisions.
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“You are declared by this violated your commitment, your oath and your loyalty to the party,” said the notification. “You voted in favor of the 26th bill on the constitutional modification, 2024, and by conduct, you have joined another parliamentary party. You are therefore immediately expelled from the party. ”
PTI management has also asked the Pakistan Electoral Commission to initiate procedures for the disqualification of the five MNA under article 63a of the Constitution.
The five MNA had voted in favor of the 26th bill on the constitutional modification, which allowed the government to guarantee 225 votes – one above 224 required for adoption.
The 26th amendment introduced significant changes to the judicial structure of Pakistan, in particular revisions to the judicial appointment process, the mandate of the chief judge and the composition of the judicial commission.
