“PTI leadership sold us out,” MNA Chaudhry Usman Ali claims

LAHORE: Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Chaudhry Usman Ali, who was elected with the backing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and later joined Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has levelled a series of allegations against PTI’s leadership.

Usman Ali was elected as an independent candidate backed by PTI before joining PML-N in 2025.

In an exclusive interview with ARY News, he alleged that PTI’s leadership had engaged in what he described as “fixed-match politics” and claimed that certain decisions regarding independent candidates were made deliberately.

“The PTI leadership sold us out. It appears there was some kind of understanding, which is why we were intentionally declared independents,” he alleged.

The lawmaker also discussed the issue of reserved seats and party affiliations, claiming that he and several other lawmakers were not properly accommodated within the party’s political strategy.

Referring to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Usman Ali alleged that affidavits submitted by some lawmakers were not forwarded to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

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“We handed over our affidavits to Barrister Gohar, but they were never submitted to the Election Commission,” he claimed.

According to Usman Ali, he had requested party leadership to include him and other lawmakers in the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), but was allegedly advised to remain independent.

He further claimed that while most PTI-backed lawmakers were affiliated with the SIC, five MNAs, including himself, were left as independents.

Usman Ali also alleged that some PTI members had approached him in the past seeking assistance in establishing contacts with PML-N leaders, although he said he declined such requests at the time.

The PTI leadership has not publicly responded to the allegations.