LAHORE: After staying out of the limelight, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Jahangir Khan Tareen has decided to form a new national-level political party, sources familiar with the development told JEE News on Friday.
According to sources, PTI leaders who are angry with the party are also expected to join the new setup. Apart from them, several political families from Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Lodhran and Multan are expected to join hands with Tareen.
Sources have claimed that several “prominent leaders” from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have also contacted the former PTI leader.
Sources said that Tareen will be patron-in-chief of the party.
Tareen was PTI’s secretary general before being expelled from politics in 2017 when the Supreme Court found him “dishonest” on a petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi. But was declared ineligible.
Abbasi had approached the Supreme Court for the disqualification of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Tareen.
However, despite the disqualification, Tareen remained part of the PTI and was instrumental in attracting independent legislators to join the Imran Khan-led party after the 2018 elections. His efforts proved to be crucial as he helped Khan secure the Prime Ministership in 2018.
But after coming to power Tareen and PTI leader Aleem Khan’s relationship with PTI became bitter.
In May 2022, the former prime minister explained the reason for his differences with the two leaders, saying that both were seeking “illegal benefits from him”.
Speaking during a podcast, Khan claimed that differences arose with the two alien leaders when they refused to accede to his requests.
“Aleem Khan expected me to legalize his 300 acres of land near Ravi,” said Khan, “since then, I had differences with him.”
Talking about Tareen, Khan said: “Tareen stands with those who are the biggest dacoits of the country. When I ordered an investigation into the matter, differences arose with Tareen.
After being sidelined, both Aleem and Tareen remained silent but came into the spotlight after the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) moved a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan in April last year. This move eventually led to Khan’s ouster from the Prime Ministership.
However, during the no-confidence motion, a group of PTI opponents emerged who supported Tareen. Raja Riaz, the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, is also included among them.
Interestingly, rumors of Tareen forming a new party were on the rise since last year. In January this year, it was reported that Aleem and Tareen were planning to form a new party along with other PTI defectors.
In March this year, it was reported that a breakaway group named “Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Nazriyati (PTIN) or Haqeeqi Tehreek-e-Insaf (HTI)” would be formed to contest the upcoming elections.
Members of the Jahangir Khan Tareen (JKT) group made the proposal during an iftar dinner attended by several members and leaders of PTI splinter groups, including Raja Riaz and Aoon Chaudhry.
Additionally, since the PTI was banned following the May 9 protests following Imran Khan’s arrest, many leaders have defected from the party. A faction called PTI Haqeeqi was formed a day earlier by Rao Yasir, who was earlier the president of PTI Multan District Youth Wing.
