PTI has terminated the basic party membership of 11 legislators of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, including Chief Minister Gulbar Khan for creating a forward bloc and voted against the party decision, reported 24NewsHDTV Channel on Sunday.
Most of the suspended legislators are also cabinet members. Apart from the CM, the termination notices — dated September 5 — were issued to Abdul Hameed, Haji Shah Baig, Mushtaq Ahmad, Syed Amjad Ali Zaidi, Shamsul Haq Lone, Dilshad Bano, Raja Nasir Ali Khan Maqpoon, Surayya Zaman, Raja Azam Khan Amacha and Raja Fazal Rahim.
The notices stated that the decision to terminate memberships was effective immediately and in line with the PTI’s policy and procedures.
The notice said “the reason for your termination is your actions in the GB Assembly, especially making a forward block and voting against the party decision, which is a clear violation of our party’s policy. Your actions have caused harm to the party’s interests and reputation.”
The lawmakers were also asked not to use the party’s “name, designation and/or membership in any manner or whatsoever, failing which the party reserves to take action against you which may also lead to legal action”.
Moreover, the PTI also issued a show-cause notice to former GB governor Raja Jalal Hussain Maqpoon. The show cause notice said it had come to the PTI’s notice that Maqpoon had conspired against the party and approached party members for defection.
Gulbar Khan — a disgruntled member of the PTI who led a forward bloc in the party — had replaced party’s Khalid Khurshid as the GB chief minister in July 2023, after the latter was disqualified by the GB Chief Court for obtaining a licence from the GB Bar Council allegedly based on a fake education degree.
His disqualification had led several PTI lawmakers to switch sides, and ultimately, a coalition government, comprising PTI’s disgruntled members and PML-N and PPP lawmakers, was formed in the region, with Gulbar Khan as the CM.