ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the main opposition party, has voiced concerns that some of its lawmakers may have been “won over” by the government, which is actively seeking support for a contentious constitutional amendment aimed at reforming the judiciary.
During a background briefing on Thursday, party officials revealed they have “lost confidence” in seven of their National Assembly members and are taking measures to prevent any shifts in their allegiances.
Additionally, PTI claims to be in contact with at least two members of the ruling coalition who have assured them they will avoid attending National Assembly sessions when the constitutional amendment is up for discussion.
When pressed by journalists about how the party plans to oppose the amendment in light of a recent Supreme Court ruling on Article 63A, which allows lawmakers to vote “according to their conscience,” PTI leaders maintained that the majority of their legislators would remain loyal.
“We have decided that our legislators will not attend any parliamentary sessions until October 25,” the PTI leaders announced. However, they expressed concerns about seven specific legislators who they believe may struggle to resist external pressures.
Of these, five have reportedly been relocated to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one is said to be out of the country, and the whereabouts of another remain unknown.
PTI leaders asserted that their legislators cannot fathom changing their loyalties due to worker pressure, emphasizing that even Mubarak Zeb, an independent MNA from a newly merged district, would continue to support PTI. They emphasized the deep-rooted loyalty cultivated by Imran Khan over two decades, which they believe cannot easily be undermined.
The party also expressed fears that, after limiting the judiciary’s and opposition’s powers, the government might turn its attention to the media, aiming to render it “completely toothless.”
Furthermore, they suggested that both the PPP and PML-N could eventually be sidelined, with religious parties being elevated in the political landscape.
