PML-Z chief Ijazul Haq joins PTI
Ijazul Haq, chief of the Pakistan Muslim League Zia (PML-Z), posing in front of a picture of his late father, former president and Army chief General (retired) Ziaul Haq.—File photo
Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z) Chairman Ijazul Haq on Sunday joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) along with his colleagues.
Haq, the son of former military ruler late Gen Ziaul Haq, made the announcement after meeting PTI chief Imran Khan at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore where they discussed the future politics.
Sources told The Express Tribune that Haq will contest the upcoming elections on PTI’s ticket.
Talking to the media, Haq said: “We have been with Imran Khan for a long time. We will fight the elections together and our party which is named after Shaheed Ziaul Haq will survive while I am with Imran Khan.”
When asked about the current situation, Haq said that the country should be freed from difficulties and problems as soon as possible and all should sit together for all kinds of discussions and if they cannot sit by themselves, “someone should help them sit together”.
Discussing details of the meeting with the former prime minister, he revealed: “Imran Khan said that we are ready to talk to everyone but talk about the election now because nothing else can be discussed at the moment.
“I am convinced with the PTI’s moto and its agenda for real freedom of Pakistan. I always found Imran Khan a leader of unusual vision and a well-wisher of Pakistan.”
Haq said that he was seeing incidents of tear-gas shelling at people's houses for the first time in Pakistan. “Be careful that the fulcrum does not break trying to balance the scales,” he said in a vague reference to PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz.
Haq secured over 72,000 votes in the 2018 general elections against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Noorul Hassan Tanvir who got over 91,000 votes from NA-169 Bahawalnagar.