ISLAMABAD: The main opposition party PTI has expressed the fear that some of its lawmakers may have been ‘won over’ by the government, which has been making attempts to shore up support for a controversial constitutional amendment, which seeks to bring about widespread reforms in the judiciary.

In a background briefing on Thursday, party officials claimed that they had “lost confidence” in seven of their lawmakers in the National Assembly, and were taking steps to ensure that they would not change their loyalties.

In addition, the party claimed that it was in contact with at least two MNAs from the ruling coalition, who had given assurances they would stay away from the NA sitting whenever the constitutional amendment is tabled for passage.

When asked by journalists how the party could oppose the constitutional amendment in the wake of the Supreme Court order on Article 63A, which gives lawmakers some leeway to vote ‘according to their conscience’, PTI leaders said that the majority of their legislators would remain loyal.

“Those who think that Imran Khan will leave the country or ... compromise on his principles, are living in a fool’s paradise,” they said.

“We have decided that our legislators will not attend any session of parliament until Oct 25,” PTI leaders said.

However, the party leaders explained that there were seven legislators who, they felt, may not bear the pressure.

Of them, five have been shifted to Khyber Pakhtun­khwa, while one is said to be out of the country. The whereabouts of one of the MNAs, however, remains unknown to the party.

“PTI legislators cannot imagine changing their loyalty because of the pressure of the workers,” the leaders claimed, saying that even Mubarak Zeb, who was elected as an independent MNA from a newly merged district, would support the PTI.

“Although it is next to impossible that Imran Khan would start supporting PPP, even he will not be able to change the already announced policy, because workers will not listen. The founding chairman has trained people for well over two decades, so it will take decades to undo the change,” they said.

They also expressed the fear that after curtailing the power of the judiciary and opposition, the powers that be would come after the media to render it “completely toothless”.

They also predicted that even the PPP and PML-N could be sidelined in the future, with religious parties being brought into the mainstream.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2024