Talha Mahmood quits JUI-F, joins PPP

ISLAMABAD: Senator (retd) Talha Mahmood Tuesday announced to quit Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and join the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Addressing journalists while flanked by PPP leaders in Islamabad, the veteran politician said Pakistan was going through a crisis and the PPP was the party that worked in the past to improve its economic conditions.

Highlighting salient features of his political career, Mahmood said he served as a member of the interior ministry’s cabinet committee for nine years. While, he said, he was elected in 2021 as the chairman of the Senate’s largest committee — Standing Committee on Finance — till 2024.

Meanwhile, PPP leader Faisal Karim Kundi, on Mehmood's inclusion, said they were going to strengthen the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as more politicians from the province were in contact with them to join their ranks. He said his party would give a surprise during the upcoming Senate elections in KP.

Pointing towards the KP assembly speaker’s delay in taking oath from the members elected on reserved seats, he said the speaker was violating the law and Constitution.

To a query, Mahmood said he did not mention anything about having differences with JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman. However, he said, there was no better political floor than the PPP right now.

“At this time, Pakistan needs understanding and acumen,” he said.

The senator also claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stole his mandate during the recently held general elections.