ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Saifullah Abro on Friday received legal aid after the Senate Chairman dismissed a disqualification petition filed against him, ruling it unsustainable on technical grounds, despite allegations that he violated party discipline by voting in favor of the 27th constitutional amendment.
According to parliamentary sources, the reference was rejected because it was signed by the PTI’s parliamentary leader instead of the party leader, which is a procedural requirement under the impeachment clause of the constitution.
As a result, the reference was deemed defective and was rejected without being forwarded to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Under the disqualification provisions of Article 63-A, a disqualification reference must bear the signature of the party leader.
According to sources, failure to meet this mandatory requirement made the reference technically defective, prompting the Senate President to drop the case.
Earlier this month, the PTI had moved a reference seeking Abro’s disqualification for allegedly defying the party line by voting in favor of the 27th constitutional amendment.
PTI Senator Ali Zafar had publicly confirmed the move and captioned it: “Saifullah Abro went against the party line by voting for the 27th constitutional amendment for which a reference has been filed for his disqualification.”
The reference, filed by Zafar, invoked Article 63-A of the Constitution, which deals with disqualification on account of apostasy.
“The statement is submitted for further reference to the Chief Election Commissioner for submitting the same to the Election Commission in accordance with the said Article 63-A,” said the reference, dated January 1.
It stated that a PTI meeting was held before the vote on the amendment, where it was “explicitly decided and notified in writing to all PTI senators” that they should oppose and not vote for any bill relating to the amendment.
The direction was also formally issued by Ali Zafar to all PTI senators, including Abro. “The record confirms that this direction was properly conveyed to him and that he was fully aware of it,” the reference added.
The reference further said that the instructions were also widely published in the media.
Despite these directions, however, Abro voted for the amendment twice, first on November 10, 2025, when the Senate initially passed the bill, and again on November 13, 2025, when the House reconsidered it after amendments.
The reference stated that in both cases, Abro voted against the “clear, unanimous and duly communicated guidance” of the PTI and its parliamentary leadership.
