ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Political Committee on Wednesday unanimously decided to boycott the by-elections in protest in constituencies where its lawmakers were disqualified but confirmed it would contest the by-election in NA-129, Lahore.
A statement by the political committee said, “The party considers all members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Assembly as its true representatives in the constituencies where its members have been disqualified following convictions in the May 9 cases. It therefore boycotts all by-elections in these constituencies in protest.”
The meeting, held late Tuesday night on the instructions of PTI founder Imran Khan, continued until 3:30am Wednesday. In line with Khan’s directives, the Political Committee also unanimously announced resignations from the chairmanship and membership of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and other Standing Committees of the National Assembly with immediate effect.
According to sources, during a recent internal meeting, a majority of committee members were initially inclined not to leave the field open to rival parties. However, after Imran Khan reaffirmed his decision to boycott the electoral process, the committee finalised the decision to withdraw from these by-polls. The PTI chairman is of the view that participation in the by-elections would lend unwarranted legitimacy to the recent convictions and disqualifications of PTI legislators. “The Political Committee pays tribute to all members who, despite being unjustly convicted by the courts, have remained steadfast in their support for Imran Khan’s ideology,” the statement read.
However, the party has decided to contest the election in NA-129, Lahore, where the seat was vacated following the death of senior PTI leader Mian Azhar. The committee expressed its full confidence in Imran Khan, noting that the party founder had similarly expressed his confidence in the Political Committee and referred political matters to it for further consultation. Hammad Azhar, son of the late Mian Azhar, clarified in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that the decision to boycott the by-elections was based on the “unjust disqualification” of PTI members in the relevant constituencies. He added that the matter of Mian Azhar’s natural death was unrelated. “Imran [Khan] also said that due to the demise, someone from Mian Azhar’s family or a candidate nominated by me will contest the election from this seat,” Hammad wrote.
The forum also voiced concern over the daily hearings of Toshakhana trial in Adiala Jail, arguing that such frequency infringes upon the fundamental rights of the accused and could compromise the delivery of justice.
Later in the day, PTI’s Chief Whip in the National Assembly Malik Aamir Dogar confirmed that, following the chairman’s instructions, PTI MNAs had begun resigning from standing committees. “Many members have already submitted their resignations to the National Assembly Secretariat. The rest will submit theirs tomorrow,” he said. It was reported that Junaid Akbar, PTI’s KP President and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, had submitted his resignation to Aamir Dogar in line with the Political Committee’s decision.
PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram and MNA Ali Asghar have also resigned from National Assembly standing committees. Separately, PAC member and Political Committee member MNA Sanaullah Mastikhel told the media the party leadership, including the founder, had instructed all PTI members to resign from the standing committees of the National Assembly.
Earlier, during proceedings of the Public Accounts Committee, PTI’s Sanaullah Mastikhel announced that the party had resigned from all parliamentary committees. Following the announcement, the PTI member walked out of the PAC meeting. No PTI member attended the proceedings, except Senator Mohsin Aziz who briefly joined via video link before leaving.
