• ‘PTI-Parliamentarians’ launched at meeting of ex-lawmakers
• Some claimed members backtrack on support for new party
• Plainclothesmen guard venue during party’s conception

PESHAWAR: As expected, former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) secretary general Pervez Khattak launched a new political party on Monday.

“We have unanimously decided to launch a new political party under the name of PTI-Parliamentarians,” Mr Khattak said in a video statement he read before a gathering of his supporters held near Peshawar.

Flanked by former KP chief minister Mahmood Khan, Mr Khattak said that former members of national and provincial assemblies had held meetings and after consultations decided to chalk out their future course of action.

The Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party, a Punjab-based party consisting mostly of former PTI members under the leadership of Jahangir Khan Tareen, also welcomed the launch of PTI-P.

Mr Khattak said that the PTI-P’s manifesto and flag would be unveiled soon, adding, “Our decision will be in the interest of the country”.

Mr Khattak said he was leaving two questions for each Pakistani to think over as to why the PTI did not accept elections offered to them three times and why did the PTI choose to tread the path of chaos. Describing these questions as a big secret, he claimed that it would be an eye opener when the lid on that secret was finally lifted.

“Should we go [down] the path of democracy or follow the route of anarchy,” he asked.

Pakistan is a democratic country and it must have elections, he said, while referring to the rejection of polls reportedly offered to the PTI.

“Mahmood Khan and I have served as chief ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along with our teams,” he said, adding that the province got the Sehat Insaf Card, Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit, Swat Expressway and Billion Tree Tsunami in their tenures.

Support denied

After the meeting, a list of former PTI lawmakers was issued claiming that they had joined the new party.

However, some of them took to social media to deny siding with Mr Khattak. Among those who refuted claims they were joining the PTI-P included Iftikhar Ali Mashwani, Azam Khan, Wazir Zada, Sajida Zulfiqar and Azizullah Garan.

Senior PTI leader Mohammad Atif Khan downplayed the formation of the new party. “Imran Khan’s vote bank is intact in KP. Some people leaving PTI won’t have any impact. If I leave PTI there will be many more in my constituency who will replace me, contest election and win. Fortunately we don’t have electable in KP. People vote for ideology and parties,” he wrote on Twitter.

Interestingly, two former MPAs of PTI Arbab Waseem and Malik Wajid, who were arrested on Saturday in connection with May 9-10 violent protests, also attended the meeting. Later, the district administration informed the media that they were released on parole.

Media kept out

Moreover, the media was not allowed to enter the wedding hall where the much-anticipated PTI-P was launched. The premises, located at Jhagra village on the eastern fringes of the provincial capital, was guarded by plainclothesmen.

Some reporters, including DawnNews TV reporter Arif Hayat, who tried to take photos, were detained by these plainclothesmen for several hours. They also snatched their phones, which were not returned till filing of this report.

Tareen greets Khattak

While welcoming the launch of PTI-P, the Istehkam-i-Pakistan party said this ‘revolt’ in KP is a ‘litmus test’ for Imran Khan to understand the gravity of the situation.

IPP patron Jahangir Khan Tareen said he expressed good wishes for Mr Khattak and his party.

“Politics has changed in Pakistan after May 9 (incidents). The people and political leadership are distancing themselves from those who promoted the (anti-army) narrative that led to May 9,” Mr Tareen said and added that the patriotic leadership put Pakistan’s interest first.

The IPP supported the decision of Pervez Khattak and termed the launch of his party a ‘positive addition’ to the political arena. He said the new party was another blow to the politics of violence.

IPP Information Secretary Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said in a tweet said the anti-state narrative and “extremist ideology” of Imran Khan had destroyed the PTI.

IPP President Aleem Khan said Mr Khattak knew who was responsible for May 9 events. “One person (Imran Khan) did not allow strong governments to be formed in the provinces (Punjab and KP) for his own convenience. The IPP and PTI-P seem to have a common goal,” he added.

Zulqernain Tahir in Lahore also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2023