Key PTI leaders who left Imran or were shown the door in last 27 years

LAHORE: Shireen Mazari and Fayyazul Hassan Chohan are the latest additions to the list of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI)’s second-tier leaders and protagonists who have jumped the ship after odds have started to stack heavily against the former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, who had worn the crown for 1,333 days between August 18, 2018, and April 10, 2022.

Founded on April 25, 1996, PTI has witnessed a lot of desertions and defections within its rank and file during these last 27 years, but then its formidable political foes like the PML-N and PPP have also seen such adverse times when the wind was not blowing in their favour.

During the last few days, former AJK Premier Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, Messrs Amir Kiani, Bilal Ghaffar, Sanjay Gangwani, Karim Gabol, Malik Jawad Hussain, Jai Parkash, Balochistan minister for minerals Mubeen Khilji, Major Tahir Sadiq and daughter Eman Tahir, Malik Amin Aslam, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Aftab Siddiqui, Dr Muhammad Amjad, Dr Imran Ali Shah, Faizullah Kamoka, Usman Tarakai, Dost Mazari, Chaudhary Wajahat Hussain, Mahmood Maulvi, Zaheer ud Din Khan Alizai, Sajjad Hussain Cheena, Aun Dogar, Abdul Hayi, Malik Mujtaba Niaz Gishkori and Sardar Qaisar Abbas Khan Magsi etc have all quit the party in quick succession, whereby expressing remorse and dismay over the May 9 rioting, chaos and vandalism.

From the look of things, it is quite evident that the exodus and en masse resignations are likely to continue in the coming days and weeks in what could be dubbed the “darkest hour” for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf. Astounding back-to-back blows are thus bound to rattle and weaken the PTI further as the resignation pot was still boiling till the filing of this report late Tuesday evening.

During its long and eventful journey, PTI has seen its founding member, Akbar S. Babar (left or sent packing in 2011), party president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi (left in October 2014), Ayesha Gulalai (quit in August 2017), Fauzia Kasuri (quit in May 2018) and many others severing allegiance from the party they served long, for one reason or the other. PTI founding members like Muwahid Hussain and Dr Pervez Hassan also vanished into oblivion, and so have the likes of Brigadier Samson Sharaf, Hafeez Khan and Nausherwan Burki.

In March 2016, PTI’s Election Commissioner, Tasneem Noorani, relinquished charge after developing differences with leadership over intra-party elections. In September 2016, Justice (r) Wajihuddin Ahmed, had resigned from the basic membership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf. This followed Imran Khan's decision to suspend Wajihuddin Ahmad’s party membership in August 2015, for discussing internal matters publicly, after which he presented a seven-point charter calling for the ouster of some top leaders from the PTI. Wajihuddin had alleged that the party was being run like a 'mafia' without any institutional checks and balances.

On December 16, 2017, a day after being disqualified by the Supreme Court, Jahangir Khan Tareen, had called it a day as the General Secretary of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf. PTI also lost a good number of trusted lieutenants after it assumed power in August 2018. Some went home of their own accord and others were shown the door. Here follows the names of some more of these loyal PTI loyal stalwarts, who parted ways or were forced to do so after Imran had started calling shots in the echelons of power:

One of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s key leaders, financiers and a senior provincial minister in Punjab, Abdul Aleem Khan, opted to hang his boots on September 11, 2021. Aleem Khan had initially cited pressing personal business engagements as the key reason behind his shocking resignation, preferring to remain tight-lipped and walk away quietly, though it was talk of the town that the noted property tycoon had supported Imran Khan in most testing and turbulent times, when the chips were down, without gaining much of a reward.

Aleem did utter a few words after Imran and his comrades had positioned their canons towards him. But soon, all guns were silenced as Aleem made it clear publicly that he would not remain mum for a long time. In September 2021, the-then premier Imran Khan’s Special Assistant on Power and Petroleum, Tabish Gauhar, left office amid speculations that he was having a tiff with federal minister Hammad Azhar and was facing accusations pertaining to conflict of interest etc.

Atif Mian, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Economic Advisor, was handed over the pink slip by the then-newly formed PTI government on September 7, 2018. The government had actually come under severe criticism from several religious groups for appointing Atif, a Princeton University economist, as he belonged to the minority Ahmadi Community. Firdous Ashiq Awan and Aun Chaudhry had left offices or were compelled to do so, on August 6, 2021. Veteran politician, Ishaq Khan Khakwani, had also opted to step aside.

On March 26, 2021, Prime Minister Imran Khan's Special Assistant on Petroleum, Nadeem Babar, had to leave charge over the petroleum crisis. According to information garnered by a section of the media, Babar, was made to leave on PM Imran Khan's instructions as his name had appeared in a probe related to the fuel crisis during June 2020.

On January 13, 2021, a disgruntled PTI leader, Nadeem Afzal Chan, tendered his resignation as Prime Minister’s Special Assistant. In October 2020, Lt. General (retired) Asim Saleem Bajwa, had left charge as PM's Advisor on Information. Bajwa had tendered his resignation in September of the same year, but the PM had refused to accept. On August 3, 2020, General Asim Bajwa had also resigned as China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Chairman.

In April 2020, Shahzad Arbab was removed as Advisor to the Premier on Accountability. On November 20, 2019, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Media Affairs, Yousaf Baig Mirza, resigned. On November 5, 2020, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Power Division, Shahzad Syed Qasim, relinquished his post. He had assisted Prime Minister Imran Khan with his expertise in the marketing development of mineral resources and in Power Division affairs.

On July 29, 2020, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Digital Pakistan, Tania Aidrus, and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health, Dr Zafar Mirza, announced they had left offices amid a corruption uproar. In June 2020, PTI’s Member of the Punjab Assembly, Uzma Kardar, was removed from the Media Strategy Committee and a spokesperson of the Punjab government after an audio leak, where she was found to have aired derogatory remarks against her party leadership, including the then prime minister and the First Lady. In the General Election 2018, Uzma Kardar won a reserved seat for women as a candidate from the PTI.

On July 20, 2020, Ajmal Wazir was sacked as Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa after an audio leak had suggested he was seeking some kickbacks in government advertisements. Not long ago, Punjab’s Wildlife Minister, Malik Asad Khokhar, was reportedly asked to leave charge, though he claimed he had resigned.

It is imperative to note that only seven people (14 percent) of the 50-plus Cabinet members of Imran Khan, were his old companions, and almost 86 per cent of the government functionaries--all political turncoats-- had either joined PTI on or after its historic Lahore rally of October 30, 2011, or just before the 2018 ballot exercise. But then turncoats and fair-weather friends have been part of almost all Pakistani political entities. We all know that over 20 PTI rebels and dissidents like Ramesh Kumar, Raja Riaz and Noor Alam Khan etc had revolted again Imran Khan in April 2022, eventually leading to the unceremonious ouster of the then-sitting premier.