Masood Sharif Khattak parts ways with Imran Khan

Masood Sharif Khattak, former Intelligence Bureau director general (IB DG ), has quit the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) following differences with the party leadership for not looking into the complaints of “rigging” in intra-party polls held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). During the recent intra-party polls, Khattak’s group lost the slot of KP president as Asad Qaisar, an old guard of the PTI, was elected the party’s provincial president after defeating Khattak’s candidate, Pervez Khattak. When contacted, Khattak confirmed that he had left the PTI due to “massive rigging” in the polls. He said that he would not review his decision.
Prior to joining the PTI, he was the senior vice president of the Pakistan People’s Party-Parliamentarians (PPPP). He was defeated in the 2002 general elections by a candidate of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal in his home constituency NA-15 (Karak). He resigned from the PPP in 2007 in protest against the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) signed by the PPPP with former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf. He joined the PTI on November 11, 2007, after a meeting with Chairman Imran Khan.
Born on June 5, 1950, Khattak served in the army until 1986. After his retirement, he was appointed as the IB DG in 1993 and continued until 1996. This is where he played an important role in securing Pakistan’s borders in Balochistan and in securing peace in Karachi. He increased the size of the organisation to three times its original size and revamped its organisational structure and introduced STS Anti-Terrorism training for all officers of the organisation. Khattak created and headed a cooperation committee, chaired by the prime minister and the interior minister. This committee consisted of the director generals of the Military Intelligence (MI), the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Naval Intelligence (NI), Air Force Intelligence (AFI), the inspector general of police (IGP) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). He served as the vice president of the PPP under the leadership of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. He also led a famous intelligence operation codenamed Midnight Jackals, which thwarted an alleged military coup attempt of the elected PPP government in 1990. He was arrested by the government of President Farooq Leghari in 1996 and imprisoned on charges of corruption as well as allegations which included widespread wiretapping of opposition politicians, judges and senators. Released in 1999, he was investigated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on corruption charges but no cases of corruption were filed against him in any court. In 2002 he was appointed the senior vice president of the PPPP.