LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan said Wednesday that the departure of ‘self-interested members’ would not weaken the PTI, but only strengthen it further, DawnNews reported.

Imran Khan said that those PTI members who joined the party in order to pursue personal gains have now started leaving the party after experiencing disillusionment, however, ideology and principles will always be PTI’s priority.

Khan’s comments come the same day as Shireen Mazari, central vice president and a prominent member of the PTI, announced her resignation from her party membership. Mazari cited differences “purely based on political issues” for her resignation.

Speaking at a party function to felicitate the prominent new entrants to PTI, Khan declared the allegations levelled at him and his party by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) as the reason for PTI’s decreasing popularity.

Moreover, Khan added, while referring to a research report by American universities on the US drone attacks in Pakistan that the report mentioned all the concerns and facts that PTI has already expressed on numerous occasions.

He also said that the government policy on the drone attacks is merely hypocritical.

Furthermore, Khan also said that the peace march delegation scheduled to leave for Waziristan from Islamabad on Oct 6 is based on goodwill. He expressed hope that maximum number of people would participate in the march.