The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has terminated the basic party membership of several members of its Gilgit Baltistan chapter, including Chief Minister Gulbar Khan.
In a notification issued on Sunday, the party said Khan as well as 11 other members of the GB Assembly had been expelled for violating “party policy, forming a forward bloc, and voting against the party.” It said these actions had harmed the PTI’s interests and reputation.
Apart from Khan, the party listed Shamsul Haq Lone, Raja Azam, Abdul Hameed, Amjad Zaidi, Haji Shah Baig, Suraiya Zaman, Raja Nasir Maqpoon, Mushtaq Ahmed, Dilshad Bano, and Fazlur Rahim as lawmakers whose party membership stood terminated. The notification has directed the expelled individuals against any future use of the party name, flag, or platform in any capacity.
Additionally, the party issued a show-cause notice to former GB governor Raja Jalal Hussain Maqpoon, directing him to respond in writing to allegations of conspiring against the party and encouraging defections.
Khan was elected chief minister of GB in July 2023 after former chief minister Khalid Khurshid Khan was disqualified over a fake law degree. Subsequently, several people defected from the PTI, forming a coalition government with the PMLN and PPP.