ISLAMABAD: Farrukh Habib, a former senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), announced on Monday his departure from the party and his decision to join Jahangir Tareen’s Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP).
The IPP, established on June 8, was founded by estranged PTI leaders Tareen and Aleem Khan, who had left the former Prime Minister’s party due to significant disagreements. Several loyalists of Imran Khan have also aligned with them.
Habib made this announcement during a press conference held at the IPP’s headquarters in Lahore, alongside the party’s top leadership. He strongly condemned the events of May 9, characterizing them as a dark day.
Habib, one of the founding members of PTI’s student organization, revealed that he had not been at his residence for the past five months. In fact, he had not been in contact with his family for several weeks. The former state minister for information expressed his disillusionment by questioning whether he entered politics for such reasons.
This setback for PTI occurred a few weeks after two prominent leaders, Sadaqat Ali Abbasi and Usman Dar, also left the party due to the events of May 9.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan was arrested on May 9 in a corruption case, leading to widespread protests by the party across the country, with state installations being targeted.
Subsequently, a crackdown was initiated against those involved in the events, resulting in the arrests of hundreds of party workers and leaders, including Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Habib criticized Imran’s narrative, stating that PTI’s conflict with state institutions was not a battle between believers and non-believers, and he lamented that the former prime minister had pushed the country to the brink of violence.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
