PML-Q GB President Mirza Hussain, PML-Q GB Women’s Wing President Amna Ansari join PTI while former AJK PM Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry and former AJK law minister Khwaja Farooq are likely to join PTI today
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is set to swell its footstep in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) as political bigwigs from both the federating units are joining the party.
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Gilgit Baltistan (GB) President Mirza Hussain and PML-Q GB Women’s Wing President Amna Ansari joined PTI on Wednesday. Moreover, former AJK prime minister Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry and former AJK law minister Khwaja Farooq are likely to join Imran Khan’s PTI today.
PTI has decided to test its popularity in Azad Kashmir ahead of polls expected to be held next year. With Barrister Sultan and Mirza Hussain joining PTI, both PPP and PML-Q will be left shaken, as both the politicians are top leaders from both parties.
The PPP is a ruling party in AJK and the joining of PTI by Barrister Sultan Mahmood would prove to be a major boost for the PTI in AJK.
A source in PTI told Pakistan Today that Barrister Sultan has met with PTI Secretary General Jahangir Tareen and Shah Mahmood Qureshi twice, and almost everything had been finalized. “Tulip Hall has been reserved for the joining ceremony so that the major announcement can be made today,” the source added.
Chaudhry Zafar Anwar, a close aide to Barrister Sultan, has already joined PTI. Tareen has already named a three-member committee to help reorganise PTI in AJK, with Ghulam Sarwar Khan as coordinator and Zafar Anwar and Abrarul Haq as members.
A source within PTI informed Pakistan Today that prominent British-Pakistani MP Lord Nazir was actively supporting PTI’s rise in AJK and around two dozen sitting and former lawmakers from the AJK Assembly would soon be joining PTI.
“Yes, Barrister Sultan Mahmood would announce that he is joining PTI today. Sultan would also announce his resignation from the AJK assembly in line with Imran Khan’s decision not to accept the ‘rigged polls’ of 2013. In the second phase, around two dozen comrades of Sultan would also join PTI by next fortnight. Either they would form a forward block or they would resign from the assembly,” a close aide of the Barrister added.
When contacted, Barrister Sultan also confirmed that he has joined PTI, adding that he was chairing a meeting with his party colleagues to make a final decision.
“We are discussing our strategy for tomorrow. We also have to decide the future course of action once I join PTI,” he said. He added that his party colleagues would decide whether to form a forward block in the AJK assembly or to resign from their seats.
A close aide of Barrister Sultan said that the former PM of AJK had decided to part ways with PPP after battling within the party against rampant corruption in the government.
“Barrister Sultan met many times with PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari and Faryal Talpur to help stop corrupt practices in AJK government but to no avail. Finally, the barrister decided to part ways with the PPP leadership which looks compromised,” the source said.
He said that now Barrister Sultan would join hands with Imran Khan who was also battling against the corruption demonstrated by PPP and PML-N’s governments. The source said that PPP leaders in AJK, including Chaudhry Ismail, Chaudhry Aziz, Yasin Bangash and Khwaja Nayyar, are also in contact with the PTI.
