On Monday, former PTI leader Pervez Khattak entered the fray by announcing the launch of a new political party under the name of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P) — a party formed from the PTI by piecing together defectors.
Including former K-P chief minister Mehmood Khan, at least 57 provincial and National Assembly members have defected to the splinter group, potentially dealing a huge blow to the former ruling party, a possibility its leaders quickly scoffed at while fuming about defections, putting on a brave face.
Notable guests of the ex-K-P chief minister include Ishtiaq Armar, Ziaullah Bangash, Ghazan Jamal, Agha Gandapur, Ahtesham Javed, Ahmed Hussain Shah, and Falak Naz.
According to reliable sources, the party has been focusing its attention on the MPAs who defected during the Senate elections held under the PTI’s rule and on those who were unable to obtain tickets for the recent elections.
A party pamphlet claimed the former was the new party chief and promised more members would be welcomed soon. The statement said that the split from the PTI was caused by disagreements and fighting over the tragic events on May 9.
It went on to say that all the political leaders who joined the PTI-P blamed PTI president Imran Khan for the rioting on May 9.
Learn More about Pervez Khattak’s Resignation from the PTI
Not only was Imran Khan’s anti-national program rejected by voters, but it was also rejected by the party’s top officials. It went on to say that these “patriotic politicians” had left the PTI because of the events of May 9.
Election opportunities that Imran squandered.
Meanwhile, a video of the newly formed party’s members gathering has been making the rounds online, with Khattak asking why PTI has missed so many opportunities to win general elections.
The coalition administration and PTI had been in negotiations previous to the violent events of May 9, which he appears to have been referring to.
He posed the question, “Do we want to walk the path of democracy or the path of anarchy?” He also pondered the PTI’s refusal to concede defeat after the election. We are still headed towards upheaval, he continued, and the question must be raised why PTI refused to recognize the election results.
He went on to say that the grounds PTI has given for rejecting the polls are unclear. In addition, “when this mystery unravels, everyone’s eyes will be opened to the true nature of PTI’s agenda,” he said.
“We have come to an agreement to form a new political party to be known as the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Parliamentarians… In the near future, we shall reveal its manifesto and flag color,” he read on paper.
Khattak continued, “Our decision will be in the interest of the country.”
We developed tourism in the province, we constructed the Swat Motorway and the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit system, we created the Sahulat Sehat Card in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, etc. and unveiled their Billion Tree Tsunami initiative.
Disarray
A number of high-profile members, however, quickly distanced themselves from the party when Khattak announced its foundation.
Not even half an hour after the announcement, members’ disagreeing messages began flooding in. To yet, nine people on the media-released list have publicly recanted their membership in the new party, and additional defections are anticipated.
To be sure, just a few short days following t
Khattak’s new party has been strongly denied by prominent people, including PTI officials Muhammad Jan, Iftikhar Mashwani, Malik Shaukat, Taj Muhammad Khan, Pir Masoor Khan, and Sajida Zulfikar.
Azizullah Khan, a former member of parliament for the province of Swat, Qalandar Khan Lodhi, a former member of parliament for the province of Abbottabad, and Azam Khan, a former member of parliament for the province of Lower Dir, all denied claims that they were joining PTI-P and pledged their eternal allegiance to the PTI and its leader, Imran Khan.
According to onlookers, the party’s political manifesto is meaningless because of the members’ early disagreeing statements.
Putting on a bold front, PTI
The PTI leaders swiftly issued a series of vitriolic statements against the new political group while putting on a brave front, declaring that the “monsoon season is underway” and political parties were “springing up like weed.”
“Attempts are being made to destroy the standing crop of democracy in the country with a locust horde of 14 parties,” the party spokeswoman said in a statement.
The political ‘Department of Agriculture’ is tasked with the difficult task of growing these new crops, and its employees put in long hours every day. The PTI has been quite vocal in its criticism of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party, most recently saying in Lahore, “That seed turned out rotten and was ground into the soil even before harvest.”
To paraphrase: “The seed in KP called ‘Parliamentarian’ will also be washed away in the first rain of public reaction.”
The party, however, expressed gratitude to the “Department of Agriculture” and its employees for “exposing the dirty eggs involved in behind-the-scenes conspiracies and separating them from PTI.”
A political wake
Meanwhile, PTI leader Hammad Azhar claimed that the new group’s members’ expressions revealed their displeasure.
He remarked, “They are all aware that they are actually attending their own political funeral rather than the launch of a brand new political party.”
Similarly, PTI K-P President Ali Amin Gandapur claimed that the defectors “should not forget that they are parliamentarians because of PTI and Imran Khan” and that the party and its chairman will be unaffected by the defections.
He argued that the PTI’s support base hadn’t been eroded and that the party would easily win enough votes to establish a government on its own.
Former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and prominent party leader Pervez Khattak had his basic party membership canceled earlier due to suspicions of inciting the party members to revolt.
With respect to contacting party members and instigating them to leave the party, as detailed in the show cause notice delivered to you on June 21, 2023, you have not submitted a sufficient response within the given permitted time.
“In light of the foregoing, we regret to inform you that your basic membership in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is being terminated. The Express Tribune has a copy of the notice sent by PTI secretary general Omar Ayub Khan on Wednesday, which reads, “Your membership from PTI has been terminated with immediate effect.”
