Screengrab of the press talk of PTI deserters outside Adiala Jail
Just a week after he declared he was taking a “break” from politics, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) deserter Chaudhry Fawad Hussain joined two other defectors in slamming the ruling coalition and advocating a “stable solution” to the crisis engulfing his former party after the May 9 riots.
Speaking with media outside Adiala Jail—where he reportedly met PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a bid to convince him to desert Imran Khan—Fawad blamed the incumbent government for the prevailing political instability and economic crisis, stressing that the country could not be left to the mercy of Asif Zardari, Nawaz Sharif and Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Claiming doing so would increase poverty in the country and cause crises for future generations, he said it was “necessary” for opposition politicians to stand by their “ideology” so the ruling coalition did not have a free hand.
Flanked by former Sindh governor Imran Ismail and PTI Sindh deserter Mehmood Maulvi, Fawad said they had—along with Aamer Kiyani who did not participate in the media talk—discussed the situation with the former leadership of the PTI, including Asad Umar, Pervez Khattak, Asad Qaiser, Ali Zaidi, Hammad Azhar, Farrukh Habib, Shehzad Waseem, and Qureshi, and others.
“We believe we have to move towards a stable solution,” he said, without explaining what this entailed. He also spoke out in favor of PTI workers and supporters who had been arrested without having been involved in the May 9 riots triggered by the arrest of Imran Khan, saying it was a “collective responsibility” to secure their release. Stressing that it was also a “collective responsibility” to ensure the events of May 9 had not happened, he maintained that talks with all PTI leaders had been “positive” and it would soon be determined how a “solution” could be achieved.
The brief press talk did not provide any details of how Fawad’s group hoped to achieve its aims. However, it comes amidst rampant speculation about the launch of a new political party—dubbed as the “king’s party” by Imran Khan—with former PTI leader Jahangir Tareen also leaping into the fray and a deserter from Multan registering the PTI-Haqiqi as a political party.
Denials from PTI
However, shortly after Fawad’s press talk, several of the leaders he had named as having been in contact with him either outright denied any talks or said they were standing by Imran Khan. In a Twitter posting, Qureshi’s son Zain Qureshi—also a PTI ticket-holder—said his father was the vice-chairman of the PTI and represented its ideology. “We stand with the ideology of Tehreek-e-Insaf and Imran Khan. He [Qureshi] has only done politics of principles and service, not position and greed,” he said, adding that his father was with Khan yesterday and remained with him today.
Former NA speaker Qaiser, meanwhile, posted on Twitter that he had not had not any contacts with Chaudhry. Similarly, Farrukh Habib simply wrote: “No politics without Imran khan!” Hammad Azhar, too, wrote on Twitter that he was a worker of Imran Khan and an office-holder of the PTI. “If any friend wishes to advise or offer a solution, only Imran Khan will decide on it,” he added. Asad Umar also said he was “not active” in what Fawad was seeking to accomplish.
Newly-appointed PTI Secretary Information Raoof Hasan, meanwhile, slammed Fawad’s talk, saying “rumors” of negotiations with PTI were being spread by people who had already left the party. Referring to a negotiating committee formed by Khan, he said it was the relevant platform to hold talks with people in power.