Another blow to PTI as 21 ticker-holders from Sahiwal jump ship

A total of 21 candidates, leaders, and workers from Punjab's Sahiwal district announced on Monday that they are parting ways with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — another significant blow to from the former ruling party which landed in hot waters following the May 9 riots.

Notable among the departing members are Amjad Joya, Ameer Hamza, Nasir Hameed, and Majid Dogar from Pakpattan. These individuals have bid farewell to the party, further weakening PTI's influence in the area, Express News reported.

Amjad held the party ticket from NA-140, Hamza from PP-194, and Majid from PP-195. They were widely recognised as formidable political figures in the Pakpattan region.

Read more: 'Khan sahib, Allah Hafiz': Imran Ismail bids farewell to PTI

The exodus extends beyond Pakpattan, with six members, including Chaudhry Waseem, Abdul Hameed, and Sarfaraz from Okara, resigning from their party positions.

Additionally, more than six members, including Muhammad Khan, Chaudhry Asfar, and Shahid from Sahiwal, have also chosen to leave the party. All party workers from Sahiwal region have also parted ways with PTI due to the events of May 9.

As the crackdown on PTI by law enforcement intensified in the aftermath of the May 9 violence, numerous PTI leaders, including close confidants of former premier Imran Khan, have been defecting from the party, leading to what the PTI chief referred to as "forced divorces."

Despite some leaders being temporarily released on court orders, many were re-arrested, indicating that the crackdown showed no signs of easing.

Prominent PTI figures, such as Shireen Mazari, Aamir Kiani, Imran Ismail, Amin Aslam, Mahmood Moulvi, Aftab Siddiqui, Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, Firdous Ashiq Awan, Musarrat Cheema, Abrarul Haq and others, have announced their departure from the former ruling party.

Asad Umar, a close aide of the PTI chief, resigned from his posts as the secretary-general and members of the party's core committee, citing the ongoing situation. His decision came shortly after Fawad Chaudhry, another trusted aide of Imran, also quit the PTI.

However, senior PTI leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Mehmoodur Rasheed have expressed their continued support for the party chief, reaffirming their commitment to remain with the PTI.