The number of PTI leaders who have fled the country since the violence on May 9 now stands at 24.
A number of political scientists have hypothesized that ‘external forces’ are to blame for the mass departure.
LAHORE: As a result of the arson attack on May 9, 24 top Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) officials have resigned from their positions inside the party.
Dr. Shireen Mazari, a former federal minister, and key PTI leader, is the most high-profile member to leave the party so far. After being held for more than a week against court orders, Mazari announced her resignation from the party and politics, claiming family considerations.
Abdul Razaq Khan Niazi, a former PTI MPA from Khanewal, has also decided to leave the party. Niazi spoke out against the attacks on military installations at a press conference, suggesting that they would not have been possible without the approval of party officials. Insinuating a link between the PTI’s activities and India’s interests, he went on to say that the events of May 9 had given delight to India.
Fayazul Hassan Chohan, a former minister of communication for the province of Punjab, Makhdoom Iftikharul Hassan Gillani, a former member of parliament for the province of Bahawalpur, and Mian Jaleel Ahmed Sharaqpuri, a resident of the city of Sheikupura, have all indicated that they will no longer be supporting the party.
After considering the changing political climate and the increasing influence of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in south Punjab, PTI leader Khawaja Qutab Fareed Koreja of Liaqatpur has chosen to switch parties and join the PPP.
It has also been reported that imprisoned PTI officials Jamshed Iqbal Cheema and Musarrat Jamshed Cheema are considering leaving the party in the wake of the violence on May 9. Their attorney has met with them separately in jail and is convinced that they would leave PTI once they are released, a fact he confirmed. Musarrat Cheema is a member of the PTI and a former lawmaker in the Punjab Assembly. He is the party’s official spokesman.
Several members of the PTI have resigned in protest of the attacks on military monuments and buildings. Some political scientists have hypothesised that ‘external forces’ are to blame for the mass departure. PTI Chairman Imran Khan has said on multiple occasions that there is tremendous pressure on PTI members to defect.
Former federal health minister and PTI founder Aamer Mahmood Kiani, as well as Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain (brother of PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain), Malik Amin Aslam, Dr. Hisham Inamullah Malik, PTI West Punjab President Faizullah Kamoka, and Dr. Muhammad Amjad, have all recently left the party.
Mehmood Moulvi (PTI Sindh Vice President), Aftab Saddiqui (PTI Karachi President), Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Jay Parkash, Sanjay Gangwani, and Dr. Imran Shah are just few of the prominent members that have recently resigned from the party in Sindh.
Former K-P Chief Minister spokesman Ajmal Wazir, adviser on media Usman Tarakai, and Malik Jawad Hussain have all left the PTI in the province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). Former Balochistan provincial minister Mubeen Khilji has also left the party.
The continuing exodus of PTI leaders after the May 9 riots is indicative of growing discord inside the party. As these individuals look elsewhere, the PTI must work to heal divisions and confront the harsh criticism it has received in the wake of vandalism attacks on public and private property as well as on military facilities.
