ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan on Monday added more ‘notables’ to his motley bandwagon of political cohorts by inducting close to 30 seasoned politicians from the Pakistan Muslim League-Q . In the process, Imran Khan added more clout to his national stature by dealing a significant blow to the Pakistan People’s Party vote bank in South Punjab and interior of Sindh.
Majority of newly inducted politicians into PTI belong to the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, who had parted ways with the Chaudhrys of Gujrat after their decision to join the PPP-led coalition.
Some of them also belong to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and are serious contenders in the next polls.
The party now appears to be on a direct collision course with the ruling PPP.
PML-F MNA Jehangir Tareen’s aspirations to launch a party of ‘clean’ politicians remained unfulfilled, meanwhile, as he formally also joined PTI on Monday.
“I joined PTI because it fulfils the mission we wanted to pursue as well – to get rid of traditional political elite of the country,” said Tareen, reflecting upon his decision to join the party.
“I withdrew my decision to launch my own party because our [Khan and Tareen’s] cause is the same cause,” Tareen told The Express Tribune.
Imran Khan, in his address said, “We don’t believe in politics of compromise. PTI is struggling to achieve a mission of establishing rule of law through the independent judicial system.”
Although most of the heavyweights joining PTI now belong to the country’s political elite, they have decided to shun feudally-tainted politics, according to Khan.
The PTI chairman claimed that those who were joining his party were doing so without setting any preconditions.
“They are coming as they know that the ‘tsunami’ is going to sweep the next general elections,” he proclaimed, adding that allotment of party tickets will be subject to strict screening by the party parliamentary board.
Responding to a query about a ‘silent ceasefire’ with MQM, he said that in present circumstances, PTI is only focusing on those who are in power but it did not imply that he had compromised on principles.
Awais Leghari and his brother Jamal Leghari, political scions of the late former president Farooq Leghari, also announced they were switching over to PTI after being disenchanted by the decision of the Chaudhrys to join hands with President Asif Ali Zardari.
Other notables who joined the party on Monday include former MNAs Sikander Bosan, Ghulam Sarwar Khan and Ishaq Khakwani, Dr GG Jamal, Ghulam Sarwar Cheema, Senator Mohabbat Khan Marri, former Senator Saadia Abbasi and Abid Hassan, former World Bank chief in Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2011.
COMMENTS (40)
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imran khan zinda bad my dua and hopes are with him may god give him success anyways does anyone of the new comers have any financial scandals or u guys just love to bash imran khan
great win of IK
@Meekal Ahmed You will have to admit that Imran Khan's focus on declaration of assets and paying of taxes is already shaming tax-evading politicians in paying at least some taxes: if you analyse the tax returns of the Sharif brothers; they show a marked (and unnatural) jump in the last year's income tax paid, which I believe has a lot to do with Imran's repeated assertion about Nawaz Sharif paying "only Rs 5000 as income tax."
I will anxiously await their asset declerations but more importantly their income tax returns for at least the previous three years as in generally required in all civilized countries of the world.
As the FBR has informed us most super-rich people pay no income tax because they say their income is from agriculture and remittances both og which are -- surprise, surprise -- tax exempt.
HA!
There might be some tried politicians but most of these people can help Pakistan move in the right direction----- such as JKT, Sikander Bosan, Dr GG Jamal, and Abid Hasan ( the economist this country needs)--- he writes some good articles
Goodluck PTI
@Muddassir: Yes, he wont suck.. this duty will be for these "realistic" politicians... I don't believe how quickly all of the supporters of Mr. Khan have become so 'realist' in their thinking.. Realism and pragmatism is a contradictory way of thinking to an principled/ideological way of thinking... PPP and PML N have been advocating the same, very very same, idea of being realist and pragmatist when they had their chances... So truth is that the problem is not with the faces only.. its with this whole phenomena of being realist and pragmatist for your own self proclaimed goals...
@danish: So now you will compare Imran khan with the Holy Prophet? WOW! Good going!
@Azam Khan:
I was luckier, my guy in 2002 did manage to get a couple of thousand votes.
Imran Khan is being pragmatic (and rightly so) by accepting well-known politicians from other parties who are not blatantly corrupt. The stark reality is that It will not be possible for PTI to be successful in the next elections, if it relies on idealism alone. Half the people in Pakistan vote for candidates only if they consider them "winnable." I voted for a PTI candidate (cant remember his name) in the 2002 elections: he got a total of about 32 votes.
Imrani tsunami is in full swing.
@Farheen Rizvi: I do not agree with you. We only beleive in Imran Khan who is heading PTI.
We do not care who is in his party. We have a full confidence in Imran Khan as leader for PTI. So no worries. We will give Vote for PTI.
I beleive if top person is honest then nobody under them will ever try to do corruption if they do then they will be expelled.
We have no other option accept we atleast once give PTI chance.
and the lotas keep comming
If you can't beat them , JOIN THEM! PTI's way!
childish state of mind of our people, they want a clean politician, . are we clean? no? then who are we to ask that we want a clean politician. party manifesto is something worthy, whoever joining PTI have to accept the terms and conditions,rules of the party. so how could one say that this party is corrupt? get a life people. make a change in your lives and thinking then we will be able to demand that we want a clean politician because we are clean.
Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have
@Muddassir IK is worthy of our trust for now no doubt (considering the alternatives as you describe); its these other dubious characters and new faces which worry me.
All other parties and their leaders have been tried by us umpteen times by us, therefore I will certainly vote for Ik. Nothing can go worse than today.
You cannot bring change with 20-25 seats, you need dominant position. Its better to have these people in rural areas and new in urban.
These people are not bad reputed as far as corruption is concer. Owais Leghari performance as Minister of IT is very good. Similarly, Tareen is also not bad choice.
PTI policy is that 70% to old PTI and ISF while 30% to influencial. 30% is 300 NA/PA seats and PTI ha sonly few old influentials.
People who criticize may want similar result like 1997 or 2002 for PTI. PTI want to play on bigger field.
This is great news for PTI. Congratulations to all Pakistanis.
So this is the Tsunami people of Pakistan are going to see? I would rather call this the change of name of a political party from PMLQ to PTI ; after seeing all feudal and industrialists and same old faces changing the party and Khan is letting them in ihs party. One day Khan will be out of his party and they will be controlling the parliament again and who will we blame for this? Khan
What is the guarantee that these politicians that have been ministers, senators and parliamentarians would do anything for Public if PTI comes into power. This is not a change, it will be same politics. The biggest example is Obama's election for a president, he claimed to bring Change, but when got elected, he basically followed the policies of former presidents. Same story here, these politicians are not going to bring any change in Pakistani politics, they will not be doing any favors to Public, they are joining PTI only and only for power and then play their filthy politics game to increase their wealth. I am really disappointed.
Now PTI bashers will continue their routine work although people of Pakistan very well understand that it is leadership which matters the most...If the captain is clean then the team will automatically b clean...Best of luck to PTI & Pakistan..!!
well..........................congrats to all PTI jialas................Lagharis, Qureshis, Cheemas and Khakwanis etc. all are die hard revolutionary and anti dynastic to the core. Plus Mr. Jahangir Tareen 'the clean' politician and owner of JDW Sugar Mills.................what about the sugar mafia.
i am certain that the 'Tsunami' will bring the 'revolution'..................
KPK and south punjab are already sealed by PTI
What a middle class party ! Shah Mahmood Qureshi ! Legharis ! Khurshid Kasuri ! Jehangir Tareen !
Good Luck to PTI and to all the exploited masses.
Well...Don't know for sure the outcome of next election...but PTI is certainly expanding at an exponential pace
Very good movement Mr. Tareen and Lagharis. IK now is the time to take all old PTI workers into confidence to make sure they do not quit from the party.
May Allah gives you success in next election to change the fate of Pakistan (Ameen)
So what they did under PML-Q wasn't traditional politics. It’s amazing that the most ridiculed politicians in recent times have become revolutionaries.
Common Pakistani man and woman has nothing to celebrate here, not yet anyway. These are the same old faces which promote a culture of hereditary politics and feudalism in our country, albeit under a new name. it remains to be seen if imran khan can make honest politicians out of them.
Is anyone left over there in PML(Q) to join the Tsunamic Revolution of Imran Khan??