Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) suffered a blow after former chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak announced to form his own breakaway faction of the party.
Days after he was sacked from the PTI, Khattak announced the formation of his own political party – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Parliamentarians.
He said 57 former members of the PTI have announced their support including former chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mehmood Khan and former governor Shah Farman
Denials
Within hours of his announcement, several politicians denied joining the newly-founded party or even attending the meeting. They also expressed support for their parent party led by Imran Khan.
The dissenting messages started pouring in from the members and so far nine individuals from the list of members provided to the media have disavowed their association with the new party, while more such defections are expected.
Prominent figures including PTI leaders Muhammad Jan, Iftikhar Mashwani, Malik Shaukat, Taj Muhammad Khan, Pir Masoor Khan, and Sajida Zulfikar have all denied being part of Khattak’s new party.
PTI leader Sajida Zulfikar said he was admitted to the hospital and has neither joined Pervez Khattak’s new party nor declared any support.
Speaker KP Assembly Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani said that he has gone out of the country for his treatment and has not joined the party. He expressed support for Imran Khan and his party.
District President Abbottabad PTI Qalandar Khan Lodhi said that he is standing firm with PTI and strongly denied news circulating on social media about leaving the party.
Former MPA Iftikhar Mashwani and Azam Khan also denied joining the PTI-P and expressed standing firm with Imran Khan.
The initial dissenting messages from members are a clear indication that the party’s political manifesto does not hold much significance and the party is disarray.
PTI dismisses Khattak
A spokesperson for the PTI also termed the formation of PTI-Parliamentarian as a “seasonal monsoon” party. The PTI said there have been denials soon after the party was formed and its fate will be worse than the Istehkam Pakistan Party (IPP).
The party said it is grateful to Pervez Khattak for exposing the elements involved in behind-the-scene conspiracies and separating them from PTI. It said the nation stands with one voice united under Imran Khan for the establishment of rule of law.
Forced divorces
In May, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Kahn termed his exodus of party leaders from the party as “forced divorce”.
“We had all heard about forced marriages in Pakistan but for PTI a new phenomenon has emerged, forced divorces,” Khan said in a tweet.
Khan said he sympathised with all those who were “under pressure” to leave the PTI. “My sympathies go to all those who under pressure have been made to leave the party. And I commend and salute all the senior members who are resisting the extreme pressure to quit the party.”
After Khattak’s announcement of parting ways, many have linked it to a ‘forced marriage’. Khattak announced his resignation from all posts in the PTI after the May 9 incidents.
Future alliances
Another recent entrant in the political scenario, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) welcomed the formation of Khattak’s party.
IPP Patron-in-chief Jahangir Tareen congratulated Pervez Khattak on forming a new political party. He expressed best wishes and said that politics is now changing in the country after May 9 incidents.
Tareen said that patriot political leaders prioritized stability in the country and several political personalities are parting ways from the narrative of the May 9 riots.
Khattak has also denied the party has been losing ground. Speaking to a private channel, Khattak said the list of party members circulating on media is fake, and he has the actual list of members who have joined the party and expressed support.
He said this is just the beginning and more members will join the party. He also claimed that 30 members including those from Punjab are in contact with him and will join the party.
