After former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Pervez Khattak announced the formation of a new political party called Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P), several prominent members quickly distanced themselves from the party. Within half an hour of the announcement, nine individuals from the list provided to the media denied their association with the new party, and more defections were expected. These members included Muhammad Jan, Iftikhar Mashwani, Malik Shaukat, Taj Muhammad Khan, Pir Masoor Khan, Sajida Zulfikar, Azizullah Khan, Qalandar Khan Lodhi, and Azam Khan. They reaffirmed their loyalty to the PTI and its chairman, Imran Khan. Observers believe that this initial dissent indicates that the party’s political manifesto is not significant to its members.
Pervez Khattak questioned why his former party, PTI, had missed several opportunities for general elections, referring to negotiations between the coalition government and PTI before the violent events of May 9, which weakened the party. He asked whether the country should follow the path of democracy or anarchy. Khattak also questioned PTI’s refusal to accept the election results and suggested that the reasons behind it were a mystery. He claimed that once this mystery is unraveled, people will understand the true nature of PTI’s agenda.
Earlier, Khattak officially launched the new party, claiming that at least 57 provincial and national assembly members, including former governor Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan, had joined PTI-P. It should be noted that Khattak had previously resigned from all PTI positions and condemned the incidents of May 9, calling for action against those responsible. However, he later clarified that he remained a part of PTI but had resigned from his posts. After PTI terminated his membership, Khattak announced the launch of PTI-P.
