Tareen, Siraj & Khattak throw in the towel

IPP, JI and PTI-P heads step down after lackluster poll performance

In a jaw-dropping development, Istehkam-e-Pakistan chief Jahangir Tareen and Jamat-e-Islam emir Sirajul Haq on Monday hit the exit doors following their parties’ lacklustre performance in the shocking aftermath of February 8 general elections that saw political heavyweights tumbling.

Meanwhile, Pervez Khattak, chief of his breakaway faction of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, PTI-Parliamentarians, has also resigned from his party position, saying that he is “taking a break” from politics for now.

Tareen, once the right-hand man of the incarcerated ex-PM and PTI founder Imran Khan, faced a crushing defeat in the nationwide polls, with his freshly-baked party securing only two National Assembly (NA) and one provincial assembly seats.

He suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of PTI-backed independent candidate in Multan, Malik Aamir Dogar, garnering a mere 50,166 votes, paling in comparison to Dogar's 143,613 votes.

Throwing in the towel, Tareen declared his political retirement on X, saying, “I would like to thank everyone who supported me in this election and want to offer my congratulations to my opponents. I have immense respect for the will of the people of Pakistan.”

“Therefore, I have decided to resign from my position as Chairman IPP and step away from politics altogether.”

I would like to thank everyone who supported me in this election and want to offer my congratulations to my opponents. I have immense respect for the will of the people of Pakistan. Therefore, I have decided to resign from my position as Chairman IPP and step away from politics…

— Jahangir Khan Tareen (@JahangirKTareen) February 12, 2024

“My gratitude to all the members of IPP. I wish them the absolute best. By the Grace of Allah, I will continue to serve my country to the best of my ability in a private capacity. May the next few years see Pakistan prosper IA. Pakistan Zindabad,” he added.

However, hours after reports of his resignation, Pervaiz Khattak refuted the rumours, saying that the reports were baseless and misleading. He asserted he was committed to public service.

He acknowledged the election results and accepted the outcome with humility, acknowledging the decision made by the electorate.

Read Imran Khan’s loyalists triumph, betrayers bite the dust

Meanwhile, hot on the heels of Tareen's exit, Sirajul Haq, the head of the politico-religious party, waved the white flag, saying, "I accept responsibility for the election defeat and have resigned from the post of party ameer."

Qaiser Sharif, the central secretary of information for JI, verified the news about the party chief's resignation. The resignation was submitted by the chief, taking accountability for the unsatisfactory electoral outcomes in the recent general polls.

He disclosed that an emergency session of the central shura has been called by JI's Secretary General, Ameerul Azeem, scheduled for February 17 at the party's headquarters in Mansoora Lahore.

 

الیکشن میں شکست کی ذمہ داری قبول کرتے ہوئے جماعت اسلامی کی امارت سے استعفی دے دیا ہے۔

— Siraj ul Haq (@SirajOfficial) February 12, 2024

He mentioned, "The central shura's deliberations will kick off at 10 am, pondering the aftermath of the JI chief's resignation."

The resignation by the JI chief came after the party failed to secure any National Assembly seats and only secured three seats in the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies, one of which was vacated earlier on Monday by JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman.

Earlier in the day, JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rahman announced that he is forfeiting the PS-129 Sindh Assembly seat in favour of the PTI-backed candidate.

Naeem had won from PS-129 Karachi Central VIII with 26,296 votes with PTI-backed independent candidate Saif Bari securing 11,357 votes.

In a press conference, Naeem stated that PTI-backed candidate Saif Bari secured 11,357 votes and that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had altered the results.

"I give up this seat," announced Naeem and added that "independent candidate Saif Bari won in a genuine manner, whose votes were reduced to 11,000 from 31,000”.