'Nation will always remember': Imran hails leaders defying pressure to quit PTI

Ex-PM sympathises with those who he says ‘have been made to leave party under duress'

Former prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday lauded the senior members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) who have exhibited resilience in the face of intense pressure to quit the party.

The statement came as a number of PTI leaders have announced parting ways with the former ruling party following the vandalism on May 9 after Imran Khan's arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.

In an unprecedented show of vandalism last week, PTI supporters had attacked and caused damage to many public and private properties including the historic Corps' Commander’s House — originally known as Jinnah House and which once served as the residence of the founding father of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah – in Lahore.

Read more: Malik Amin Aslam, another PTI leader jump ship

In the aftermath of widespread rioting and protests following Imran’s arrest, several party leaders including Fawad Chaudhry, Asad Umar, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmeen Rashid, Shireen Mazari, Maleeka Bukhari, and Fayyazul Hassan Chauhan were taken into custody.

So far Mahmood Moulvi, Aamir Kiyani, Karim Bux Gabol, Sanjay Gangwani and Malik Amin Aslam have announced quitting the PTI.

"My sympathies go to all those who under pressure have been made to leave the party. And I commend and salute all the senior members who are resisting the extreme pressure to quit the party," Imran wrote on his official Twitter handle.

My sympathies go to all those who under pressure have been made to leave the party.
And I commend and salute all the senior members who are resisting the extreme pressure to quit the party.
The nation will always remember them for standing up for Haqeeqi Azaadi.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) May 18, 2023

Khan acknowledged their steadfast commitment to the principles of Haqeeqi Azaadi (real freedom), emphasising that their actions would be etched in the nation's memory.

In another tweet, the former premier questioned that when the illegal caretaker Punjab government announced that 40 terrorists were hiding in his house, should they not have named them?

When the illegal caretaker Punjab govt announced that 40 terrorists were hiding in my house. Should they not have named them?

The reason they didn't was because what they were planning was to bring 30-40 people with them and then accuse me for harboring terrorists just like last…

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) May 18, 2023

"The reason they didn't is because they were planning to bring 30-40 people with them and then they would accuse me for harbouring terrorists just like last time when they broke into my house through an armoured car and planted Kalashnikov and petrol bombs," he further said.