Former PTI leader Pervez Khattak on Monday officially entered the fray announcing the launch of a new political party by the name of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P) – carved out of the PTI by cobbling together defectors – for his shot at power in the upcoming elections.
With their entry into the splinter group’s fold, at least 57 provincial and the National Assembly members, including former K-P chief minister Mehmood Khan, have potentially dealt a huge blow to the former ruling party -– a possibility its leaders quickly scoffed at as they fumed about defections, putting on a brave face.
Notably, the former K-P chief minister has rolled out the red carpet for the likes of Ishtiaq Armar, Ziaullah Bangash, Ghazan Jamal, Agha Gandapur, Ahtesham Javed, Ahmed Hussain Shah and Falak Naz, among others.
Well-placed sources had earlier confirmed that the party’s scanner for potential defectors had been zeroing in on the MPAs who had switched their loyalties during the Senate elections under the PTI’s reign and could not get tickets during the last elections.
A handout issued by the party said the former was the new party’s chief and boasted more inductions on the way. Explaining the rationale for forming a new outfit, it said it resulted from differences and conflict within the PTI on the May 9 tragedy.
It added that all political leaders joining the PTI-P held PTI chief Imran Khan responsible for the May 9 riots.
“Imran Khan’s anti-national agenda was rejected by the public and the party’s leadership. These patriotic politicians parted ways with the PTI over the May 9 events,” it further said.
