ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has reportedly lost contact with 12 of its lawmakers, including two senators and ten members of the National Assembly (MNAs), ahead of critical constitutional amendments.
Sources within the party have confirmed that opposition leader Omar Ayub reported the loss of contact with seven lawmakers, while PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar revealed that he has been unable to reach two senators.
The missing lawmakers include Zain Qureshi, Zahoor Qureshi, Aslam Ghuman, Usman Ali, Riaz Fatyana, Mukhtar Hussain, Chaudhry Ilyas, Aurangzeb Kachhi, Murad Zeeshan Khan, and Aniqa Mehdi. Earlier, PTI’s Political Committee announced its decision to boycott the voting process for constitutional amendments in both the National Assembly and Senate.
The committee also expressed its intention to protest against any PTI members who participate in the voting. In an official statement, PTI asserted that the current government lacks the moral, democratic, and constitutional authority to implement changes to the constitution. PTI also raised concerns that two of its senators might break ranks and vote in favor of the amendments, contrary to the party’s stance.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar informed the Federal Cabinet about extensive discussions on the proposed constitutional amendments. He stated that the positions of allied parties were also presented during the cabinet meeting.
On Saturday, a series of meetings took place at the residence of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Islamabad, with key political figures in attendance, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, and BNP (Mengal) head Akhtar Mengal. Following these meetings, the presentation of the constitutional amendments draft was postponed to Sunday.
In a separate development, Law Minister Tarar confirmed that the constitutional package draft would be formally presented to the federal cabinet today for approval, incorporating proposals from JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
