The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf parliamentary committee barred its MNA Brigadier (retd) Aslam Ghumman from attending the meeting on Monday, sources said, as Imran Khan’s party decided to start anti-government protests.
Upon arriving at room number five for the meeting, he was instructed to exit. Committee members raised objections to Ghumman’s participation, stating that those who received show cause notices should not attend the meeting.
When a reporter asked the lawmaker why he was asked to leave, he responded: “I am going to offer Namaz.”
He was reportedly among those MNAs who voted in favour of the 26th Constitutional Amendment despite the party’s decision to boycott the vote.
The government narrowly passed constitutional amendments on Monday giving lawmakers more power to appoint top judges, who have issued a series of recent decisions favouring opposition chief Imran Khan.
The judicial reforms changed the appointment process of the chief justice of Pakistan and the formation of benches. It also set a date for the end of riba (interest-based banking) “as far as practicable by January 1, 2028.”
Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub presided over the meeting. Salman Akram Raja, Zartaj Gul, Asad Qaiser, Aamir Dogar, Sanaullah Mastikhel, Muhammad Khan, Shandana Gulzar, Khawaja Shiraz, Atif Khan, and Shahid Khatak attended the meeting.
They discussed the names of PTI nominees for the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, as well as the resignations of assembly members who received show cause notices for voting for the constitutional amendment.
Later, a statement was issued following the meeting, announcing that the parliamentary party has approved joining the judicial commission and has endorsed the decisions made by the political committee.
The party also approved a schedule for rallies across the country as part of their anti-government protest movement. Assembly members expressed their commitment to participate in the planned protest gatherings according to the schedule.
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The committee also assessed the National Assembly session, the amendment, and the overall political situation. They also discussed legal strategies to pursue the “political cases against the PTI founder” and decided that a “vigorous and effective protest against his unjust imprisonment will continue.”
It added that the PTI founder was “being held in solitary confinement for political purposes.” The parliamentary party paid tribute to assembly members, especially those from Punjab, emphasising that “all members stand firmly behind the party founder’s ideology.”
It was noted that “strict action” would be taken against those members who have betrayed the party, and disciplinary measures against such members would be carried through to their logical conclusion.
