Sources close to the matter told Geo News that Law Minister Farogh Naseem asserted that “members of the Parliament cannot be disqualified through an ordinance”, adding that “the disqualification can only be carried out through a parliamentary act.”
The attorney general had reportedly proposed the ordinance under Election Act 231(A), which would have made dissident members indelible for five years. Sources claim that members of the government had pressured the law minister to draft the ordinance, telling him that it could later be repealed, but the law minister stood firm.
Attorney-General Khalid denied the claims of a draft ordinance, and said that he had only discussed Article 63(A) of the Constitution with the law minister. The PTI government has also announced it will seek the opinion of the Supreme Court on Article 63(A), which governs the disqualification of dissident party members.
The PTI government has floated the idea of disqualifying dissenting party members since the opposition first announced its plans for the no-confidence motion. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid has said that NA Speaker Asad Qaiser had the power to disqualify PTI lawmakers who side with the opposition during the vote of no confidence. Similarly, Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry echoed that the speaker will not count the votes of MNAs from the PTI who have crossed the aisle.