“All independent candidates support me as Imran-led PTI does not exist anywhere,” says former KP CM
- “Imran Khan was a dishonest man, he left his former party over false promises.”
- Khattak will contest the February 8 poll of NA-33 and PK-88 in Nowshera.
- The former KP CM formed the breakaway PTI faction a month after the May 9 mayhem.
Aiming to form his party's government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-Parliamentarians (PTI-P) president Pervez Khattak has claimed to have the support of the candidates of the party led by Imran Khan.
Many eyebrows were raised after the former KP chief minister, in his speech at an election rally in Nowshera's Rashakai town on Monday, claimed to get the silent support of all independent candidates nominated by the former ruling party.
“PTI-backed candidates support me because their party does not exist these days, therefore, all independent candidates have supported me. “The founder of PTI is a selfish man who hates politicians and deceives common people.”
Further criticizing the former prime minister, the politician alleged that Khan was a “dishonest man” and that all his vows to the nation were fake, prompting him to quit the former party.
Khattak will contest from NA-33 and PK-88 from his native Nowshera district, where he had twice been elected to the National Assembly and the provincial assembly on PTI tickets.
Khattak was believed to be one of the close aides of jailed former prime minister Khan and held key portfolios of former party's provincial general secretary, KP's chief ministry and was later elevated to the Center as defense minister during the PTI rule.
However, he left the party's provincial presidency after the May 9 chaos, while the PTI claimed to have fired him for failing to respond to a show cause notice.
Disqualified former aide to the prime minister, Khattak, then formed a breakaway faction, the PTI Parliamentarians, days after he was expelled from the PTI in July last year.
The new PTI faction was joined by a large number of former PTI loyalists, including former KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and former legislators Shaukat Ali and Syed Muhammad Ishtiaq Urmar.
The Imran-led party has also faced major setbacks after its top leaders, including its founder and vice-president, faced a slew of corruption cases and the May 9 riots. Additionally, he also lost his legal battle to keep his iconic “bat” symbol in the Supreme Court earlier this month.
The party has further loosened its grip on its strongholds in an exodus as several senior leaders and loyalists opted out and formed separate parties before entering the nationwide electoral battleground, scheduled for February 8.
