LAHORE:
In what can be seen as another setback for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), one of its members and former special assistant to the prime minister, Ali Nawaz Awan, made a notable switch on Sunday by joining the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), which is led by the influential figure in the sugar industry, Jahangir Khan Tareen, as reported by Express News.
Awan is not the first member of PTI to join the emerging political entity. The IPP predominantly comprises former members of the ruling party, many of whom have parted ways with PTI, especially in the wake of the unrest on May 9.
The incident prompted several senior PTI leaders to relinquish their basic party memberships and align themselves with the IPP.
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Awan, who had a significant role within the PTI, reportedly met with IPP’s patron-in-chief Jahangir Tareen and President Aleem Dar to convey his decision to part ways with the PTI.
Awan was welcomed by both Jahangir Tareen and Aleem Khan in Lahore for joining the party.
The meeting, which marked Awan’s official transition, was attended by Aun Chaudhry and other leaders of IPP.
In response to Awan’s announcement, the PTI shared an old video of Awan taking an oath.
On November 11, PTI had said the “state’s atrocities” against the party had intensified after the date of the next general elections was decided.
In a statement issued after meeting of the PTI’s core committee, the party maintained that the series of “kidnapping of PTI leaders for statements” by some state institutions was still underway.
“The inaction of the ECP and caretaker government on the ‘enforced disappearance’ of [PTI] Central Additional Secretary General Ali Nawaz Awan is the worst example of lawlessness,” it continued.
The PTI also accused the ECP and interim government of completely failing to fulfil their constitutional duty and being the “key facilitators” in the state agenda of “deviating” from the Constitution.