Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) announced on Tuesday that the party will take action against members who "violate discipline".
In a press statement released today, members who are planning to contest the upcoming elections as independent candidates because they were not issued a ticket by the party will be reported to a two-member disciplinary committee, comprising Naeemul Haq and Arshad Dad.
The announcement comes days after disgruntled PTI leader retired Col Ajmal Sabir Raja said that he planned to contest as an independent candidate from NA-63 after he was refused a ticket from the party.
According to the statement, all party members had sworn an oath that they would not contest elections if they failed to get a ticket. Therefore, the decision to contest elections in an independent capacity is not just a violation of party discipline but also of Articles 62, 63 of the Constitution, the statement read.
The disciplinary committee will forward its report regarding party members contesting as independent candidates to the party Chairman Imran Khan.
There is discontent among PTI workers over the issuance of tickets to candidates, with several members claiming that the party leadership had been unfair and had handed out tickets to the "same corrupt" people it stood against.
Female workers also lamented the "unjust" distribution of tickets, saying that party leaders had issued tickets to women who were related to the leadership instead of old guards.
Party workers from different cities had protested in front of Khan's residence in Bani Gala, Islamabad. They eventually dispersed after assurances from Khan and his wife Bushra Maneka.