ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced it will boycott National Assembly (NA) sessions and hold protest demonstrations outside Parliament House, in line with directives issued by party founder Imran Khan.
The decision follows the resignations of PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) lawmakers from several parliamentary committees earlier this month.
It also comes amid mounting legal setbacks for the party, including the disqualification of senior figures such as Omar Ayub, former leader of the opposition in both the National Assembly and the Senate, and Shibli Faraz, after convictions related to the May 9 riots.
Confirming the move, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the parliamentary party had unanimously agreed to withdraw from NA proceedings and hold peaceful protest meetings outside Parliament House.
“Our members were disqualified, and we were not even allowed to speak. When we wanted to celebrate Independence Day, that too was denied,” Gohar said, adding that PTI lawmakers had attempted to present their demands “democratically” within the assembly but were repeatedly silenced.
PTI Information Secretary Waqas Akram clarified that members would briefly mark their presence in the House before stepping out to join the protest. “Our members will hold their own assembly outside Parliament,” he said.
Meanwhile, NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has urged PTI-backed SIC legislators to reconsider their resignations from parliamentary standing committees, stressing the importance of their participation in the legislature’s proceedings.
