ISLAMABAD, Feb 29: Another Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) dissident Dr Israr Shah has decided to quit the party and join Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan.

“Yes, I have decided to end my 42-year long association with the PPP after seeing the present leadership deviating from the party’s original manifesto and programme as given by founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his daughter Benazir Bhutto,” Dr Shah told Dawn here on Wednesday.

Dr Shah said he would formally announce his decision in a news conference with PTI chief Imran Khan on Thursday evening. PPP Co-chairman and President Asif Ali Zardari had suspended the Central Executive Committee (CEC) membership of Dr Israr Shah some two years back for allegedly violating party discipline.

Dr Shah, who lost both his legs in a suicide blast in Islamabad during the movement for restoration of judges, was issued the suspension notice for writing a letter to the party co-chairman and the prime minister for appointing Babar Awan as the law minister.

In his letter, he had also criticised the government’s decision of awarding Sitara-i-Imtiaz to Mr Awan.

Dr Shah received a notice from PPP Secretary-General Jehangir Badr informing him about the leadership’s decision to suspend his CEC membership. The notice termed his “statement against a federal minister of the PPP as inappropriate and against discipline, rules, practice and conduct of the members in the party.”