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Imran’s party braces for swelling of ranks
Twenty-five PML-Q current and former legislators to join the PTI; Tareen group follows suit.
Twenty-five PML-Q current and former legislators to join the PTI; Tareen group follows suit. PHOTO: EXPRESS/ ZAFAR ASLAM
LAHORE:
Imran Khan’s charm is spreading.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) strength will be emboldened with the following new revelations: 25 Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) legislators – sitting and former – will be joining the party. Announcement formalising this will be made on Monday (today) at the Islamabad Press Club, where the PTI chief will be present.
And much-anticipated Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) leader Jehangir Khan Tareen’s group has finally decided to join the PTI ranks as well.
PTI’s Punjab President Ahsan Rashid confirmed this development and said that he was hoping these 25 seasoned PML-Q politicians will strengthen the nascent party.
PML-Q’s Senator Jamal Khan Leghari late on Saturday night made the announcement on micro-blogging website Twitter regarding his decision to join the PTI.
His message stated: “We are joining PTI Insha Allah on Monday around 25 legislators present and ex, tehsil nazims etc by the grace of God”.
Following are the prominent leaders who will be joining ranks with Imran: Senator Leghari, PML-Q MNA Awais Khan Leghari, PML-F MNA Jehangir Khan Tareen, PML-Q former legislators and ministers Sikander Bosan, Ishaaq Khan Khakwani, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Mian Amin Aslam, Aleem Shah, Javed Lund, Mehmood Qadir Leghari and Sardar Tufial, sitting MPA Sardar Amjad Khan Khosa and Mohsin Khan Khosa.
The Leghari family split
While both the Leghari brothers – who are sons of former president of Pakistan Sardar Farooq Khan Leghari – have decided to join the PTI, they failed to take onboard with them the rest of their family who are serving as legislators in either the Punjab Assembly or the National Assembly.
There are a total five seats in the Leghari family including MNA Sardar Muhammad Jaffer Khan Leghari from NA 174, MPAs Sardar Mohsin Leghari and Sardar Muhammad Yusuf Khan Leghari from PP 245 and PP 246, respectively. The late Farooq Leghari’s cousin and former legislator Sardar Maqsood Khan Leghari has already joined the PPP.
Sources in the family told The Express Tribune, although it was a Leghari family tradition to consult Jaffer – former president Farooq’s cousin and uncle of both the Leghari brothers – the two brothers made no such attempt before deciding to join the PTI, causing a split in the family politics. Family sources added that the split in the Leghari family occurred over the issue of resignation of seats.
While Awais and Jamal Leghari did not respond when contacted, Jaffer Khan confirmed that he and the rest of the family have distanced themselves from the PTI.
He said Jamal and Awais had left for Islamabad to join the PTI but he, along with two of his nephews, has not decided to join the party yet.
PML-Q’s Central Information Secretary Kamil Ali Agha told The Express Tribune: “Almost everyone has abandoned the PML-Q and now it’s their own decision to join whoever they want to.”
Jehangir Tareen
Party sources told The Express Tribune that before PTI’s October 30 rally in Lahore, Imran had invited the Tareen group to join his party but they seemed reluctant and were looking more for an alliance.
But after the rally, Tareen’s group had little bargaining power and their Monday decision seems strategically tactful bearing in mind the upcoming December 25 rally in Karachi.
Tareen is now expected to resign from his constituency and his NA 195 seat.
Meanwhile, PTI Punjab President Rashid said that all those who want to join the PTI will have to resign from their seats and wait for general election to contest. He added: “Tareen and Awais will definitely submit their resignations and announce their joining the PTI.”
Sources claimed that singer Abrarul Haq will join the PTI on December 19 in Lahore, former foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri and one of the PML-Likeminded group leaders will individually join the party on December 20.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2011.
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Reader Comments (52)
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Big gain for PTI. Thumps up
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for PTI haters every politician becomes curoupt after joining PTI and for PTI lovers every 1 becomes clean after joining PTI
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Welcome to all and trust under the leadership of IK they will work for the betterment of the country.
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Great News! PTI Zindabad!
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So Imran has bargaining Power now. He refused to take few members of Jahangir Tareen Gp as their reputation was not good and also asked Tareen to join PTI individually and no formal Gp is accepted. Tareen Gp seems to accept both demands.
The joining Gp has no reputation of being corrupt. Further, few technocrats are also joining.
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Now hurry up and grab Mush PTI..
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@rao zahid:
That’s the funniest comment I have seen to date on the subject.
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These are all politicians having clean & corruption free record & strong vote bank in their constituencies. Big gain for PTI. Insha allah pakistan,s golden time is coming under the great leadership of Imran Khan.
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Hope Imran Khan’s Laundry work well to clean these old sheeps otherwise they will be Balck sheeps in the party.
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Congratulations PTI! Now since Javed Lund has joined PTI, success is yours.
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Love Imran .
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I always thought we were looking forward to see different faces and not the same faces under a different veil. Come on Imran, you can do much better than this!!!!
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Keep your Feets on the ground and never loose the original goal of PTI (A prosperous welfare Islamic State) Insha ALLAH. The youth of Pakistan will keep a strict eye on all these people. You have to perform with honesty and credibility or you will all be thrown out.. Our aim is not your success but the success of Pakistan.
May ALLAH (swt) Bless us all (amen)
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everybody accepting PTI idealogy should be welcomed in PTI…Lets join hands to save PAKISTAN…..LOVE YOU IK
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Great achievement for Imran Khan & PTI to make unbelievable possibilities…..
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imrans tsunami is getting power day by day…….. good to see……. now tsunami headinn towards karachi…… ifb imran manages to get 100000 people in karachi then pti is a major contender for power………… ik rocks
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I could smell the chage, now I can see it.
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this is more of the same,the biggest mistake is to take the same people on in whome people have no trust
what is the difference ?? I am happy though,mr nawaza and shahbaz a will be out of the race
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PTI on rock and roll, with few reservations, but I believe in my Kaptaan.
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All those who’ve been harping on about PTI’s lack of “winnable candidates”, i wonder what excuse they would be thinking of now!
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Soon, Musharraf will be returning to Pakistan. Either Imran Khan must join him or the Establishment will take care of IK. Musharraf will be the President of Pakistan again or else IK will face have to face ISI/Army. For the moment, ISI / Army is backing Imran khan which is why you can see the memogate etc popping up.. & sooner than later, IK will have to fall in line..
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I also have reservation with sudden joining of politicians in PTI, but it is harsh reality that we need these heavyweights in southern Punjab.
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Increasingly, it is becoming clearer that it will be PTI v PMLN in Punjab. Express Tribune has missed the name of Abdul Rehman Kanju who will also join PTI within a week.Recommend
we all those who wanted the change should welcome these new comers as no one is that clean as we want they should be , it is not possible to have lived in Pakistan for 63 years without …….., you know what i mean . we should also look at ourself for what we have done in past . plus these new comers will bring some experiance with them and will help us (pti) to grip those black sheep as these new comers have lived with them and they know roots of these .This is a very important time let people come
change will come . INSHALLAHA .Recommend
a guiness record is in order: So many Lotas, Only one Balti (bucket).
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PTI gaining fame because not all but mostly of party members are fair to Paktani peaple. Allah will help PTI
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Todate, 90% of the people joining PTI are former Musharraf cahoots. Visionless and soulless people who joined musharraf from PMLN and PPP for contracts and money. Not a single PMLN or PPP prominent member, except SMQ. I thought IK could do better.
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Way to go
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hmmm politics will be politics!! Imran Khan willing to bring revolution against people those are now part of this revolution.. very disappointing for me … this type of mass inclusions of full time politicians will not help winning people hearts at all …
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PTI is in a phase of building a clean team out of mixture of clean and dirty stuff.Some people joining him have not a good reputation.We hope the captain will choose a team with commitment to serve the masses.
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Pti zindabad.
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Excellent; Pakistan Tahrike Insaf. Now the most important is to make a clear and simple Road Map’ in the shape of party’s constitution.
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beginning of an end.
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Nice one.. They all are Good for PTI??
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Love u IK
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I hope GPM (General Pervaiz Musharaf) will also join PTI soon. He has got the signal from establishment to come in Jan 2012.
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I just hope that it is not a another trap for people of Pakistan.
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Way to go PTI…
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Legahari family has a good reputation in politics.Such people can bring success to the party.PTI leader Imran khan should talk about inflation, bad law and order situation and other problems faced by common people in his public meetings and how he will solve these problems. Imran khan is a honest leader but in pakistan people want jobs and good governanace and imran khan must talk about these issues in his talk shows and public meetings.Wish all the success to imran khan.
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@zia ur rehman:
The mass entry into PTI by members of various political parties place a very heavy burden on the soul of PTI: the youth. The youth have to act vigorously to ensure that these politicians do not indulge in their ways.Yes, Imran will lead but the team has to be vigilant to keep the fielding tight and catch any wrong ones.
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Congratulations to PTI. Imran Khan has a sufi-like demeanor and surely he has the nerves and the will to take the country out of this mess.
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Imran now is the time to announce your plans as to how you are going to finish the aiashis of our ministers! let the people know.
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@imran ali:
I think you meant “you expect” rather than “hope”Recommend
It seems like a gain for PTI, but watch out IK… Do scrutinize everybody thoroughly and objectively before including anybody in PTI. We don’t want to see one good party go bad. Good luck and best best wishes for IK and PTI.
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Imran Khan will make them all straight..we should keep good faith in Imran Khan’s policy and struggle..Hope Imran Khan will put Pakistan on right track..
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Amusing to see comments by PTI supporters here.
People that were reprehensible just yesterday are now today’s heroes. so much for a ‘change’
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Revolution of lotaas and turncoats ! Another PML-Q is coming to rescue the people of Pakistan =D
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@3footninja:
It’s not much help when you sacrifice one claim for another. People will view the credibility of the wider claim of “change” to be harmed by the supposed fix to lack of winnable candidates doing it this way.
It’s just exchanging one target issue for another.
As for me, the candidate thing hasn’t gotten much attention due to how much the outcome effects me. That applies to most of what the man does. I just dislike faulty logic and false certainties misleading people which is what brings my criticism and it would no matter who it is saying it.
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PTI converted to PTI-Q
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I think Imran Khan PTI may not succeed as he has no agendae for change.It is anothe Q-League
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PTI will bring change everyone whom have been making negative comments could you please tell us any other option whom we can trust now ? all of you dont wana open eyes please stop misleading people … just have trust in PTI and Imran Khan !!Recommend
Imran khan has become the ‘Anna” of Pakistan,
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