PTI throws out ex-KP CM for joining Parvez Khattak's party

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday expelled former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister Mahmood Khan over his links with the party's breakaway faction — PTI-Parliamentarians — led by Pervez Khattak.

Mahmood, along with several other PTI leaders including former KP lawmakers Wilson Wazeer, Ishtia Urmar, Iqbal Wazeer, Yaqoob Sheikh and Shafiq Afridi have reportedly defected to the Khattak-led party, which was announced earlier this month.

Khattak, a former close aide of the ex-prime minister, formed PTI-Parliamentarians, days after being sacked from the Imran Khan-led party earlier this month.

Announcing the formation of the new party, the former defence minister condemned May 9 attacks and violent protests.

"Our existence is directly linked to that of Pakistan. PTI is now completely finished in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," the former provincial chief minister, who holds an important position in the province's politics, said.

Pervez Khattak, who served as the PTI's secretary general and chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the PTI government, was also sacked over his failure to respond to a “show cause notice” issued to him.

PTI remains embattled, with its chairman facing several cases and a threat of disqualification while key party leaders have parted ways following May 9 — the day party workers wreaked havoc and attacked army installations.

Some of former party members, considered close to the PTI chief previously, also dented his party in Punjab as Jahangir Tareen, Aleem Khan, and other people had formed the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party last month.