Attorney General Uz Ahmed Usham has announced that the Government is preparing to submit a bill to the Parliament to establish procedures for political parties to expel Members of Parliament under the constitutional anti-defection amendment.

Speaking at a press conference held at the President’s Office on Wednesday, Uz Usham stated that the proposed amendment to the Political Parties Act would define the legal procedures governing the removal of MPs in line with the constitutional provisions introduced to prevent party switching.

Under the Seventh Amendment to the Constitution, MPs lose their parliamentary seats if they switch political parties during their term, if an independent member joins a political party, or if a member elected on a party ticket is expelled from that party.

The amendment was challenged at the Supreme Court by former Kendhoo constituency MP Ali Hussain. However, the Court ruled that there were no legal grounds to invalidate the amendment.

The constitutional change prompted concern among some groups over the possibility of MPs losing their seats through expulsion from their parties. The Government has maintained that such action can only be taken through procedures established under a specific law.

Uz Usham noted that the Attorney General’s Office is currently drafting the necessary amendments to the Political Parties Act to formalise those procedures.

During the press conference, he also outlined several other bills the Government plans to submit to Parliament in the coming days, including a Personal Data Protection Bill, three bills related to digitalisation, legislation concerning the implementation of the death penalty, and a bill related to mental health and wellbeing.