ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has expelled its two dissident lawmakers of the Sindh Assembly for casting their votes against party line in the March 3 Senate elections.

A statement issued by the PTI’s central media department on Thursday said that the Sindh west chapter of the disciplinary committee of the party had terminated the basic membership of MPA from PS-1, Jacobabad-I, Aslam Abro, and MPA from PS-18, Ghotki-I, Shaharyar Khan Shar, for not voting in favour of the party candidates and a notification in this regard had also been issued.

It said that the two MPAs were provided complete opportunity to explain their positions and the committee had taken this extreme step after their failure to come out with a clarification and on the basis of clear and solid evidences against them.

The committee has recommended to the party leadership to refer the matter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to get them deseated.

Aslam Abro, Shaharyar Shar voted against party candidates in Senate polls

The two MPAs, however, have been provided another chance to file an appeal against the party’s decision within seven days.

The two PTI lawmakers from Sindh had openly announced that they would not vote for the PTI candidates in the Senate elections because the party leadership had not taken them on board while taking decision on party tickets.

On March 2, the two MNAs also had a scuffle with the enraged PTI lawmakers when they entered the Sindh Assembly hall.

Speaking to the media, Mr Abro later stated that they would remain part of the PTI and would vote according to their conscience during the Senate polls while reiterating that he would not vote for the PTI candidates.

Since then, the party leadership was under pressure from the members and office-bearers of the local chapter of the party for taking a disciplinary action against the “rebel” MPAs.

After the 2018 Senate elections, the PTI in a similar action had sacked 20 MPAs of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly for allegedly not voting for the party candidates.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2021