ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has expelled five members of the National Assembly for defying the party’s instructions during the vote on the 26th Constitutional Amendment held last October.
According to separate notifications issued by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Sunday, the lawmakers expelled include Aurangzeb Khichi, Zahoor Hussain Qureshi, Usman Ali, Mubarak Zeb, and Ilyas Chaudhry. All five were elected as independents in the 2024 general elections with PTI’s support.
The identically worded notifications stated that these MNAs violated party discipline by voting in favour of the constitutional amendment bill on October 21, despite the party’s unanimous decision to oppose it.
“You are hereby declared to have violated your commitment, oath, and loyalty to the party. You acted contrary to its instructions by voting in favour of the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill 2024,” read the notification issued to Qureshi.
It further added that their actions effectively amounted to joining another parliamentary party in the assembly.
“You are therefore expelled from PTI with immediate effect. Needless to add, you also stand disqualified on account of this conduct.”
The 26th Amendment was passed with a two-thirds majority after the government secured support from various opposition members, including those from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), which extended backing following negotiations. PTI, however, chose to oppose the bill but failed to prevent five of its supported MNAs from siding with the government.
Soon after the bill’s passage, PTI announced plans to initiate legal action against the dissenting lawmakers. At the time, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif pointed out that these MNAs were technically independents and thus not bound by party discipline.
The notifications issued on Sunday stated that show-cause notices had been sent to the lawmakers on November 5, 2024, asking them to explain why they should not be declared defectors, but none responded. PTI’s chairman has now formally requested the National Assembly speaker to disqualify them from their seats.
The expelled MNAs and their constituencies are:
- Aurangzeb Khichi (NA-159, Vehari-IV)
- Zahoor Hussain Qureshi (NA-146, Khanewal-III)
- Usman Ali (NA-142, Sahiwal-II)
- Muhammad Ilyas Chaudhry (NA-62, Gujrat-I)
- Mubarak Zeb (NA-8, Bajaur)
PTI maintains that their removal is aimed at reinforcing party discipline and setting an example against violation of collective decisions.
