Islamabad, January 1, 2026: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has formally submitted a disqualification reference against Senator Saifullah Abro to Senate Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, accusing him of defecting from the party line by voting in favour of the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
PTI Senator and parliamentary leader in the Senate, Ali Zafar, shared the declaration of defection on social media platform X, stating that Abro violated party policy by supporting the constitutional amendment, despite clear directions to oppose it.
The voting on the 27th Constitutional Amendment took place in the Senate on November 10, 2025. PTI had opposed the amendment; however, Senator Abro voted in its favour.
In the reference submitted to the Senate chairman, Ali Zafar said: “In terms of Article 63A of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, I, in my capacity as the parliamentary leader of PTI in the Senate/party head, hereby submit this declaration that Senator Saifullah Abro has defected from PTI.”
He added that the declaration was being forwarded to the Chief Election Commissioner for placing it before the Election Commission of Pakistan in accordance with Article 63A.
Zafar maintained that ahead of the vote, a meeting of the PTI parliamentary party was convened in which it was explicitly decided—and communicated in writing to all PTI senators—that the party would oppose and not support any legislation relating to the 27th Amendment.
“The record confirms that this direction was properly conveyed to him and that he was fully aware of it,” he said.
Responding to the reference, Senator Saifullah Abro denied defecting from the party and claimed that PTI did not oppose the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
Speaking to a private news channel, Abro criticised Ali Zafar for filing the reference, saying he was “not capable of leading.” He also claimed that he had neither received any written instructions from the party nor any show-cause notice.
“Neither the party issued me any letter, nor have I received any show-cause or letter,” Abro said, adding that PTI had turned into a “social media party” that relied on online posts rather than formal communication.
The senator further alleged that PTI founder Imran Khan had nominated him for the chairmanship of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, but claimed he was deprived of the position due to collusion between party members and the treasury benches.
