LAHORE: Days after formally forming a political party, the Insatim Pakistan Party (IPP), President Jahangir Tareen left for the UK on Sunday amid speculations that he will hold meetings with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders.
According to sources, the party chief is expected to stay in the UK for a week, during which he will meet with Pakistanis living abroad and also conduct a medical check-up.
Soon after rumors of his emergence spread, several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) defectors and close associates of Imran Khan joined the party, including:
- Former information minister Fawad Chaudhry
- Former Sindh governor Imran Ismail
- Former health minister Amir Kiani
- Former Azad Jammu and Kashmir prime minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas
- Former federal minister Mahmood Molvi
- Former SAPM Firdous Ashiq Awan
- Former federal minister Ali Zaidi
- Former provincial minister Fayyazul Hasan Chauhan
- Former member of the provincial assembly Nauman Langrial
Tareen rejected the impression that his party was designed to replace the PTI, saying the IPP would only work for the country’s development.
He lamented that despite his efforts while in the PTI, his new colleagues could not work hard to implement the PTI manifesto and disappointed the people.
The IPP chief expressed confidence that more politicians would join the IPP in the coming days, and that the party would do its best to overcome the economic crisis and division in the country.
Tareen – once a close aide of the PTI chief and a key figure in bringing the party to power in 2018 – formally launched his new party on June 8, saying he would work for the betterment of the country. Joined politics to play his role.
A number of PTI defectors – who broke away from Khan after the May 9 debacle – have joined hands with Tareen.
On May 9, the PTI chairman was arrested from the Islamabad High Court premises. His arrest almost triggered nationwide riots, during which key military installations – including the General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi and the residence of the Lahore Corps Commander – were attacked and vandalized.
Since then, there has been a mass exodus of PTI leaders, and many who claim to have left the party have said in their press conferences that they have given up politics.
