A group of over a dozen former federal ministers, including Jahangir Khan Tareen, Ishaq Khakwani and Owais Khan Laghari, have showed their willingness to make an alliance with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
They will formally announce this decision soon after Eidul Azha in a press conference with PTI chairman Imran Khan, sources informed The Nation. A meeting between PTI Central Secretary General Dr Arif Alvi and Jahangir Khan Tareen is also scheduled on the third day of Eid.
Imran Khan had invited the aforementioned group to join his party in a meeting held few days ago. A central leader of PTI informed The Nation that Imran Khan prior to his visit to China held several meetings with different political leaders inviting them to join his party.
PTI central information secretary in a statement said that PTI would welcome politicians like Jahangir Khan and Ishaq Khan Khakwani who have a clean political track record. He said the time has come that all politicians of good repute join against the corrupt political mafia. He added that PTI’s central executive committee would make final decision regarding coalition with the aforementioned group of former federal ministers.
Agencies add: Tareen, former minister for industries and production who is in London these days, told a private TV channel on Sunday by telephone that he had informed Imran Khan about the names of his group (14 in number) intending to join his party. Among the others who are joining the PTI include Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Jamal Leghari and Sardar Tufail. Most of these former ministers seeking to join the PTI had been members of the PML-Q.
Reports indicate that former foreign minister and PPP leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi is still undecided on joining the PTI.
It is said that Qureshi would more likely announce the decision as an individual, and not a part of any group.
PTI chief Imran Khan, who stunned political stalwarts with his impressive rally in Lahore, had disclosed that 60 per cent of parliamentarians want to join his party.
Courtesy: The Nation