Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has expelled five Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) for voting in favour of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, defying clear party instructions. PTI termed the act a “flagrant breach of oath, loyalty, and parliamentary discipline.”
The expelled MNAs are:
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Aurangzeb Khan Khichi
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Zahoor Elahi
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Usman Ali
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Mubarak Zeb
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Muhammad Ilyas Chaudhry
In a statement issued by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, the party noted that it had unanimously opposed the amendment in a parliamentary meeting on September 2, 2024. However, the five lawmakers voted in favour of the bill on October 21, helping the government cross the required threshold of 225 votes — just one above the minimum 224.
PTI had issued show-cause notices in November 2024, but none of the MNAs responded or appeared before the hearing committee. The party also alleged that these lawmakers had aligned themselves with another parliamentary group by sitting on treasury benches.
The expulsion notifications stated that the members had violated their party commitment and joined another party by conduct, which qualifies as defection under Article 63A of the Constitution. PTI has requested the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to begin disqualification proceedings.
The 26th Amendment introduced major reforms to the judiciary, including changes to the appointment process of judges, Chief Justice’s tenure, and the structure of the Judicial Commission.
