PTI Boycotts National Assembly, Backs Shutter-Down Strike in Balochistan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday escalated its protests by boycotting the National Assembly proceedings, while voicing support for a September 8 shutter-down strike called by the Balochistan National Party (BNP) and the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), as reported by Dawn.

The boycott is part of ongoing tensions that arose after the disqualification of key PTI leaders last month. In response, PTI organized a 'people's assembly' outside Parliament, demanding judiciary intervention to address appeals challenging the 26th Constitutional Amendment. The amendment was criticized by PTI as a tool against judicial independence.

Former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar and other PTI leaders condemned the legislature for inaction and voiced ongoing demands, including halting Afghan refugee repatriation. These actions are set against a backdrop of disqualifications tied to violent protests on May 9, which erupted after the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan.