PTI facing desertion by KP ‘electables’

After losing popularity with the people as portrayed in the last IRI survey, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf is facing another challenge in the shape of possible desertion by its “electables” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
After losing Khwaja Mohammad Khan Hoti and Iftikhar Gilani, Iftikhar Jhagra, Syed Iftikhar Ali Shah and his company from Nowshera and former MNA Shujat Ali Khan from Swat may also quit the party and move to the PPP, Pakistan Today has learnt. Former provincial minister Iftikhar Jhagra, former law maker Qurban Ali and Syed Iftikhar Ali Shah had joined the PTI a year ago, but have now planned to rejoin the Pakistan People’s Party.
On Friday, Iftikhar Jhagra and Syed Iftikhar Ali Shah held a meeting with PPP’s newly-elected provincial president Anwar Saifullah Khan in Nowshera and expressed the desire to rejoin the PPP along with other colleagues, if the PTI chief did not address their grievances. After the historic PTI rally in Lahore on October 30 last year, the party began attracting notables in all parts of the country and dozens of well-known, notable politicians, bureaucrats and technocrats joined the PTI in hopes of getting good portfolios. But PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s announcement of intra-party election and linking portfolios and tickets with intra-party election has discouraged opportunists’ expectations.
The development also exposed intra-party disputes, which kept major political figures in the province from joining the party. Commenting on Iftikhar Jhagra and his company’s grievances, PTI provincial leader and former provincial president Asad Qisar said Jhagra was opposing intra-party elections and wanted confirmation of the ticket. “There is no other grievance of Jhagra, but a want for postponement of intra-party polls and nominations of candidates for provincial and national constituencies to start preparation for the next election,” Asad Qisar said.
“We are looking for honest politicians. The people of the province are expecting change from the PTI and this change is only possible if we hold intra-party elections, make the party democratic and hand portfolios to those who are liked by the people,” he said. Qurban Ali Khan said he had no intention to say adios to the PTI nor did he have any knowledge of the meeting with PPP provincial president in this regard. “Let me make it clear that neither Jhagra nor the PPP directly approached me to quit the PTI and rejoin the PPP,” he said, adding that he joined the PTI alone and he was not the part of any group. “However, Jhagra has some grievances over intra-party elections and ticket allocation,” he said.
However, a source in the PPP confirmed the meeting of Anwar Saifullah, saying Iftikhar Jhagra and Iftikhar Ali Shah had assured to rejoin the PPP. “The PPP is also in contact with former MNA and senior minister KPK Shujat Ali Khan of Swat and he may join the PPP in a couple of weeks,” source added. Political experts and analysts say the desertions will damage the PTI popularity and create misunderstanding among the people. The source said Pervez Khattak, a candidate for the provincial presidency of the party, would also leave the PTI if he was not elected the party’s provincial president.