Several PTI members join JUIF

NOWSHERA: Several members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday quit their party and announced joining the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF).

The announcement was made at a public meeting arranged at Shireen Kothay where the Village Council Chairman Yaqoob Khan left the PTI and joined the JUIF along with his brother Niaz Khan along with other relatives and supporters.

The JUIF district president Qari Muhammad Aslam, general secretary Mufti Hakim Ali Haqqani, Qari Riazullah, Muhammad Khan Mashwani, Qari Imran Nasir Khan and other party office-bearers were present on the occasion.

In his speech, JUIF provincial president Senator Maulana Attaur Rehman came down hard on the PTI Chairman Imran Khan after accusing him of talking about dismemberment of the country.

“The elements working against the religion, state and nation have stood exposed. The JUIF will face such elements and defeat their nefarious designs,” said the senator who is brother of the JUIF chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

He flayed the ousted prime minister for allegedly introducing indecency in politics and vitiating the moral values by encouraging his young party members to resort to disrespect and abuse.

Talking about the challenges to the present coalition government, Maulana Attaur Rehman said the rulers were short of time and had a host of problems to resolve. “But In Sha Allah, we will fix all these issues slowly and steadily,” he promised.

Meanwhile, the JUIF provincial chief met an Awami National Party (ANP) leader and former state minister, Masood Abbas Khattak, at his residence and invited him to join the religio-political party.

The sources said it was the second meeting between the two as the first was held in the Holy land when both were there on an Umrah trip. Other JUIF leaders were present there during the meeting.

It was learnt that Masood Abbas Khattak was interested in contesting the general election from National Assembly seat NA-25 and KP Assembly seat PK-62 from Nowshera.