Photo courtesy IPP
The Istehram-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) on Sunday announced that Ali Nawaz Awan had exited the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and joined the Jahangir Khan Tareen-led party, with the PTI maintaining the decision was taken “under pressure” and he did not voluntarily leave it.
Describing the development as a “major achievement,” the IPP wrote on its official X, formerly Twitter, account that the former federal minister had joined the party after a meeting with Tareen and IPP leader Aleem Khan at the former’s residence in Lahore.
Sharing a video of Awan from a month ago, the PTI said it “proved” that he had been forced to switch parties under pressure. In the video, Awan said that even if he switched parties in future, he was “always with the PTI, and would always remain with the PTI.”
Also on Sunday, the IPP announced that Sardar Asif Nakai had also exited the PTI and joined its ranks. Earlier, the party had announced that former PTI leaders Farrukh Habib and Andaleeb Abbas, among others, had also joined it ahead of upcoming general elections.
Following the May 9 riots, authorities launched a crackdown against the PTI’s leaders and workers, with several senior leaders departing the party and announcing an exit from active politics. Over the past month, this exodus has ramped up, with several holdouts giving media interviews or press conferences announcing they were joining the IPP.