Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has taken the decision to cancel the basic membership of all party leaders and office-bearers who have recently resigned.
This move comes in response to the fallout from the violence that occurred on May 9.
Among the notable figures who have left the party are Fawad Chaudhry, the senior vice president of PTI, as well as former federal ministers Shireen Mazari, Aamer Mehmood Kiani, and former adviser to the Prime Minister, Malik Amin Aslam.
While it remains unclear whether Asad Umar, who stepped down as secretary general and core committee member but did not quit the party entirely, has also had his membership revoked.
In addition to cancelling their membership, Imran Khan has ordered the removal of defectors from the party’s core committee. These individuals will no longer be part of PTI’s WhatsApp groups, and the party’s social media accounts will be updated to reflect the changes and remove any references to the defectors.
The list of PTI legislators and ticket-holders who have announced their departure from the party continues to grow. This includes a long list of prominent figures such as Fawad Chaudhry, Shireen Mazari, Aamer Mehmood Kiani, Malik Amin Aslam, Wajahat Hussain, Khawaja Qutab Fareed Koreja, Haider Ali, Dr Muhammad Amjad, Fayazul Hassan Chohan, Ayaz Khan Niazi, Abdul Razaq Khan Niazi, Makhdoom Iftikharul Hassan Gillani, Syed Saeedul Hassan, Saleem Akhtar Labar, Zaheeruddin Khan Alizai, Aun Dogar, Abdul Hai Dasti, Malik Mujtaba Niaz Gishkori, Alamdar Husain Qureshi, Sajjad Hussain Cheena, Sardar Qaisar Abbas Khan Magsi, Ashraf Rind, and Faizullah Kamoka, who is the PTI West Punjab president.
Leaders from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Usman Tarakai, Malik Jawad Hussain, Dr Hisham Inamullah Malik, Muhammad Iqbal Wazir, Nadia Sher, Ajmal Wazir, and Malik Qayyum, have also decided to part ways with PTI.
Moreover, the list of PTI defectors from Sindh includes Jai Parkash, Bilal Ghaffar, Omar Omari, Mahmood Maulvi, Aftab Siddiqui, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Sanjay Gangwani, and Dr Imran Shah. Additionally, Syed Ghulam Shah from Khairpur district and former Balochistan minister Mubeen Khilji have also chosen to leave the PTI.
The departure of these key figures poses a significant challenge to PTI and raises questions about the party’s stability and future direction.