"PML-N is unaware of ground realities," says Amir. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
CHAKWAL: Former Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Ayaz Amir announced on Friday that he would be joining the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Express News reported.
Addressing a press conference in Chakwal, Amir said that the PML-N is unaware of ground realities. He offered his unconditional support to PTI candidates contesting for NA-60 and NA-61 in Chakwal district. He also revealed that he was pulling out from the election race himself.
PTI candidates of national and provincial assembly were also present at the press conference.
The rift between Amir and the PML-N widened after the columnist was not given a party ticket.
On Friday, Amir wrote a column about his estranged ties with the PML-N.
COMMENTS (86)
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Ayaz sahib now you are on the right track .Excellent decision .
sir, we know u hv widthdrawn name from NA election .....,,,,but some ppls are roumering against u, u like straight 4wd ppls can only have place in pti...cos in pti thefre is nothing hidden....,so warm welcome to sir Amir sb.
i am sure (PTI) will success in these election in entire country except chakwal because most prominent personality haji sardar GHULAM Abbas contesting azad penal he is the who did some thing for chakwal with his personal effort.
My name is ishtiaq Hussein belong to district Chakwal currently i am working Dubai since 2008.i am 30 year old.i have seen that distric chakwal always pushed back by government because of the negligence of leader. Distric chakwal is one the beautiful distric of Pakistan in every aspects. inhabitant of chakwal hospitable,peaceful,prosperous and playing very impotent role for the defense of Pakistan. Large number of Pakistan army belong to chakwal.all politeness looking for their personal interest but now time has arrived to change everything.i am looking forward imran khan chairman (PTI) for the better future of Pakistan.he is the one to whom with we are expecting new Pakistan.
Someone who witnessed Ayaz Amir's case very minutely, I would say he made a right choice. PML-N refused to give him ticket because the party succumbed to the pressure of the local clergy in Chakwal which was against Ayaz Amir because of his liberal thoughts. If PML-N can't tolerate the opposition of clergy of a district, how can we expect it to save us from bigger onslaughts.
The dynastic party could not face the criticism and squeezed him out of the party, he seems to me as one of the most intelligent person in the last NA but NS does not need intelligent people around him because they could see his crooked ways and say it as is. Too bad he is not running as an independent candidate and should not need the support of of any one but the people. In a way, I am glad he is pulling for change now and be an asset to the PTI
if he were NAWAZ:s brother then he might had his ticket .family ltd party
I can't help but ask, why did he support N-League for so many years. Fact that Sharifs are not the leader material should have been clear to him like day light. Anyways, welcome back sir, Mubarak ho Mubarak ho Mubarak ho!!!
@Falcon:
"His entry in PTI is certainly a good omen…it will strengthen liberal base of the party…"
Liberal base? The PTI is at best a Trojan horse for the Islamists. Any liberals sucked into is are fools who got deceived.
Really ET has big big Heart to publish this news :p
I belong to Aytaz Amir village he didn't do anything for it, even He couldn't able to give education at F.A level for girls while he is ruling from long time. He didn't give any facilities of health, education and even agriculture department... then how can he make change??????
After he was denied of N ticket he left the party...... otherwise he will not left it... congrats PTI another opportunists is coming towards you..... CHANGE HAS COME????
Why he joined PTI after getting his ticket refused by PML (N)??? He is no different to other politicians at after all.
Mr. Ayaz Amir, you came to noble stand AFTER your ticket was rejected? A principled stand indeed. Thanks for your vote to PTI but that is the extent, you are not getting a ticket now or later.
@Anonymus: Stature is useless when lying idle. It has to throw itself for some cause. I think it was long overdue for Ayaz Amir. Read his last column and it will be clear why.
@Azhar Nadeem: so whatever party decides one should act even against his own conscious, n see who was awarded ticket discarding ayaz
when people move from PTI to other parties its not justified and when they move towards PTI all is well and OK, i cannot believe the bias people show here..
Ohh....after more thn 10 years and two tickets frm Pmln , this so called sane person suddenly realized that he is not fit for tht party when tht party denies him the tick.... To him and to all his supporters...wah jee wah..:)
btw what he has done for people in his last time as being an mpa?
grapes are really sour for ayaz amir
Ayaz Amir is a man of character. He can stand up for himself and there is nothing wrong with him joining PTI even if there are some differences in outlook. Ayaz Amir can can fight for his views and bring about change from the inside. His sane, intelligent views would contribute a lot of value to PTI.
words 'trojan horse' and 'grand standing' comes to mind. didnt quite get his beef with sharifs. he is pretending as if he discovered sharifs duplicity yesterday. he knew sharifs for a long time and quitting right before the election doesnt make him a martyr.
PS: PTI is also for Islamic ideology, not sure by supporting them he is making any difference.
Its sickening to see people like Ayaz Amir, who portray themselves as the intelligentsia of this country and never get tired of exhibiting narcissistic behaviour while demeaning everyone else in the society, switching political loyalties without any ideological reasons.
Does it mean that Mr. Amir had no faith & trust in leadership of Mr. Nawaz Sharif in regards to country's future, and yet he was lingering on in their party only to get ticket? Did PTI recently made any change in their ideology/manifesto which triggered this change of heart of Mr. Amir? If not, which is the case, then it is nothing else but a vindictive action of Mr. Amir to leave a party for not getting ticket - and it just puts him at par with ordinary "lotas" as this political loyalty switchover has nothing to do with ideology or country's larger interests.
I used to respect Ayaz Amir because I had the illusion since he talks about morals, he may be better than the rest. Alas! ironically that isn't the case and all he needed to switch political loyalties was a mere party ticket, nothing to do with big picture of future.
After you are voted in, can we have legalized drinking?.
I hope this means Mr Amir can knock some sense into PTI/Imran Khan viz-a-viz the threat to our country from the taliban and how best to deal with the murderous extortionists they are.
@Q.ZAHID: He just offered his support to the PTI candidate in Chakwal. He isn't going to join, so just calm down, will you?
Great decision sir, i always wondered what a person of your calliber is doing in pmln? Welcome to PTI, its a big entry. I wish you the best!
Great Ayaz Amir, we wre expecting you in PTI by Dec, 2011. Any how its a great decision for new Pakistan. We are sure that you did not leave PML N on ticket basis but you left them on the same priciples which Great Javed Hashmi has adopted. Thanks for supporting new Pakistan.
Ayaz Amir should have been sane enough to see this coming. Better late than never though. Time all the sane voices in Pakistan get behind tabdeeli.
@Syed A. Mateen: Sir Ji. You are certainly a great person. It would have been even better if this greatness was peppered with a little bit of humbleness. On your last note, although unfortunate but inevitable reality is this that the fate of nations is not changed by social activists but by political leaders. So, both have a place & respect of their own but admittedly politics is a much more thankless job (give it a try and you will agree).
I am sure soon sharif brothers will also join PTI. support for a change PTI forever
This is shocking news but all the same great news. An intellectual of Ayaz Amir's caliber has goofed up in a grand way. This is the second time he has left the PMLN but the first time he has joined another party. He can guide policies without seeking to be an MNA or MPA and must remember to share his knowledge with practical solutions to lift PTI even higher.
@Syed A. Mateen: Frankly, he has made a good move but conversely, Sattar Edhi is doing more for pakistan than all the politicos put together and for good measure include all their party members. Salams
Now beat us in Chakwal. PTI all the way.
Pragmatic step...
I used to wonder how Mr. Ayaz Mir sit the people like Hanif Abbasi, Abdid Sher, Azeem Qadari etc in PMLN.? Finally day came when he is free and joined most mature and sensible party in Pakistan. May Allah Bless you sir.
@Syed A. Mateen:
Did you even read the article? It clearly states that he has withdrawn his name from the running.
Ayaz sahib now you are on the right track .Excellent decision .
Hat's off for gusty Ayaz Amir, A refined gentleman from top to toe, sincere and liberal to adous to Nawaz/Shahbaz dynasty along with their cronies. I wish all the success plus a rightful place in PTI.
Not a great news...This shows that he is just an opportunist and and not a die hard political woker..
His entry in PTI is certainly a good omen...it will strengthen liberal base of the party...Based on the comments above, I can see that IK bashers are heart broken :)
Ayaz Amir was completely misfit in the dirt.
Obviously, how can Ayaz Amir who writes and talks against Blasphemy Law, military dictatorships and religious fanaticism coexist in a party or a family owned company like PML-N with likes of Rana Sanaullah who is a great backer and friend of groups like LeJ and SSP/ASWJ?
If humans were likened to apples, then I am quite sure that God gave a disproportionate share of rotten apples to a country called Pakistan. Albert Einstein defined stupidity as " doing something over and over again and expecting a different result" And this is what Pakistanis need to understand. These rotten, corrupt to the core politicians who have been tried twice and thrice in the case of the PPP are once again asking for your votes to plunder and destroy the country. Wake up folks before it's too late. Vote Imran in.
I love your narrative, but tell me who is listening. The Pakistan need of the hour is new Noah's flood to drown the bad and save your kind to reset this unfortunate land.
Hate Ayaz Amir and love PTI so this is a win-win situation. Great!!!!
Last sane voice has left PMLN.
Men like Ayaz sb are an asset for any party. He should have joined PTI a long tim e ago. He is the kind of person who can be the true face of PTI. Welcome Sir!
I am from chakwal. Ayaz amir has great influence of politics of Chakwal and people do respect his opinion. With his help I am sure PTI will secure both NA seats from Chakwal NA-60 & NA-61 Vote for PTI
Bravo, This is just a start of journey towards success for PTI
Welcome Sir, u r a pleasant entry :)
I'm a PMLN supporter. Still love Ayaz Amir, party was unfair to him. Man of courage. PMLN.
great. All are welcome to PTI.
I SALUTE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU Ayaz Amir, i swear, even in those days when i totally disagreed with what you used to write, i still believed you were saying your own heart out, you were never there to be sold. This country is there to move forward, because we have people like you
A rare sane voice in N-league's cacophony of blatant lies, pretentions, below-the-belt tactics and senseless jibes. Glad that he has allowed N-league to match its intelectual mean with its pathetic median!
Ayaz Amir was one of the best man in the whole PML period. What a sad state of affairs that the arrogant Sharif brothers could not give one ticket to a man who got most votes in Punjab in 2008. This could be a body blow to PML-N, what a shame and they call themselves leaders!
Yes! He's one of my favorite politicians, I'm glad he join PTI. Always wondered what he was doing in PML-N. I did have a soft spot for PML-N and respected them for being liberal enough to have a person like Ayaz Amir in their party. Hopefully PTI would be tolerant of his views and issues him a ticket.
Either Nawaz Shareef do not understand people like Hashmi.Musharaf,Ayaz and Akhtar Rasool or these strange people fail to understand Nawaz. It will be clear on next day of election.
Good man! Great decision! Ayaz Amir Zindabad! Always admired and respected him but now I love him and his wisdom and sense of purpose.
Surprised, people like Ayaz Amir are not valued in party that is based on family mafia style. Loss of PMLn!
Aasman say Gira Khajoor main Atka
Just last week I saw right wing radicalized youth supporting imran khan cheered when ayz Amir was kicked out of election race by piety cheking pious Election commission...and now Mr. Ayaz Amir is in to support the same radical right winger party after he is kicked out of right wing party backing LEJ and SSP of another hue.. I am sure there is some thing wrong with Ayaz Amir and his apparent enlightened english columns.
Congrats PTI followers, we're heading towards Naya Pakistan speedily!
Great step taken by Mr Amir. Another reputable person joins the only party capable of improving the lives of ordinary Pakistanis.
My respect for Mr Amir has dropped a 99% now. How can he, a staunch anti-terror and anti-Taliban ideologue join a terrorism apologetic organization. It seems a lot is happening behind the doors in this election than meet the eyes. I predict this will be the end of Mr Amir's political career and beginning of the end of PTI's election run. PML-N all the way!
I'll trade Bosan for Ayaz sb anyday!
Oouch!
Ayaz Sb, time to spill the beans on PML-N.
Alas !!!! the only sane voice in PMLn also left , PTI now strong :)
A person of his caliber can't stay in a party like PMLN. He should have done it much before. PMLN does not deserve gems like Ayaz Amir.
An excellent addition to PTI
great man great decision
He gave his support to PTI only because he denied ticket by PML(N). He should feel shame on himself.
He should have joined MQM.
I Always Wanted Ayaz Amir to come to pti ...n finally hex here ... Vote For Change ...Vote Pti
So finally PTI now has a left-of-center thought leader of note. It would be interesting to see what action plan the Ayaz Amirs in the party would craft in dealing with the TTP and its affiliates. Negotiate, yes?
Man of his status leaving party for not getting ticket looks petty. Might be different details merge later.
Wicket
He will ruin PTI's reputation.
Mr. Amir please do not disgrace yourself in public like this. You have the intellect to stand on your own feet and there are lot of followers of yours, including myself. By joining PTI you are behaving like a lota. I could never grasp why were you in PML(N). Not having a ticket from IS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE. Please grab it.
It's very strange as how people change their loyalties over night just for the sake of one party ticket.
I have been working for Pakistan for the last twenty years and have been serving the masses from Karachi to Khyber and never thought of joining any political party for the sake of holding a public office.
I have given most of my time for the welfare of the poor people and have never thought that I will only serve the masses when I will become a Senator or a Member Nationsl Assembly and then will put a flag on the car.
It is not necessary to hold a public office to serve Pakistan or the nation.
Ayaz Amir, your own stature is higher than whole PTI! why you have to join a another reactionary group. You could have been an independent writer.
Bravo!!!!