The Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan referred to the recent exodus of party leaders as a “forced divorce” in response to senior vice president Shireen Mazari’s departure following the riots on May 9.
Imran Khan, the former prime minister who himself faces various charges ranging from corruption to terrorism, expressed this sentiment in a tweet.
As PTI workers not only targeted public buildings but also military installations, including the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, the party’s leaders have been announcing their departure. Many individuals attributed their decision to leave the party to PTI’s “policy of violence,” while PTI claimed that they were being coerced.
Imran Khan also questioned the absence of human rights organizations in the country, wondering why they seemed to be missing during this time.
With the recent wave of departures from PTI, Khan expressed sympathy for those who were under pressure to leave the party, and he commended and praised the senior members who were resisting the intense pressure to quit.
Since the May 9 violence, not only have senior leaders faced imprisonment, but thousands of party workers have also been arrested in connection with the riots.
Both the military and the government have declared that there will be no leniency towards the individuals involved in the attacks, referring to May 9 as a “Black Day.”
Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir has stated that the legal process for the trial of those responsible for planning, instigating, aiding, and perpetrating the mayhem has commenced under the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act, following established legal procedures derived from the Constitution.
List of leaders who have left
Former federal minister Shireen Mazari
Former provincial minister Fayazul Hassan Chohan
Ex-MPA (Punjab) Abdul Razaq Khan Niazi
Ex-MPA (Punjab) Makhdoom Iftikharul Hassan Gillani
Ex-MPA (Punjab) Mian Jaleel Ahmed Sharaqpuri
Khawaja Qutab Fareed Koreja
Founding PTI member Aamer Mahmood Kiani,
Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain
Former federal minister Malik Amin Aslam
Former provincial minister Dr Hisham Inamullah Malik
PTI West Punjab President Faizullah Kamoka
Ex-PTI central deputy secretary general for Islamabad Dr Muhammad Amjad
PTI Sindh Vice President Mehmood Moulvi
PTI Karachi President Aftab Siddiqui
MPA (Sindh) Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah
MNA Jai Parkash Ukrani
MPA (Sindh) Sanjay Gangwani
MPA (Sindh) Dr Imran Shah
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P),
Ex-KP govt spokesperson Ajmal Wazir
MNA Usman Tarakai
MNA Malik Jawad Hussain
Ex-provincial minister Mubeen Khilji
