Fawad, other PTI deserters meet Qureshi in jail

ISLAMABAD: To the surprise of many, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) defectors, including Fawad Chaudhry, Imran Ismail and Mahmood Molvi, Wednesday met party’s Vice-Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.

In a media talk outside the jail, Fawad and others maintained that they had made contact with a number of PTI leaders and those who had left the party. There are unconfirmed reports that the visitors tried to convince the PTI vice-chairman to also part ways with the party. Fawad emphasised that Pakistan is a country of 250 million people, who could not be left to Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari.

“With the current economic and constitutional uncertainty during the current government, it is not possible to leave the people to the parties included in the Pakistan Democratic Alliance, as the PDM is directly responsible for this economic and constitutional uncertainty,” he alleged. Fawad said that in these circumstances, it is not possible to leave the government without opposition and give a chance to Shehbaz Sharif, Zardari or Fazlur Rehman to play freely. “We aim at finding a solution to the present crises,” he maintained.

He explained there had been contacts with Ali Zaidi, Pervaiz Khattak, Asad Umar, Farrukh Habib, Atif Khan, Asad Qaiser, Hammad Azhar, Shahzad Waseem and Shahram Tarakai.

“We believe that Pakistan has to go towards a stable solution; we will go towards the solution of problems; it is our collective responsibility to get freed from jails those who were not associated with these issues (May 9 mayhem). To bring them out is a collective responsibility and there has been a very good conversation with all the people,” he contended.

Fawad pointed out that after May 9, a situation arose and they all condemned these incidents and believe that action will be taken against the elements involved in the incidents of May 9 according to the law.He conceded that what was witnessed on that day should not have happened and it was a collective responsibility. Fawad, Imran Ismail, Ammer Kiani and Mahmood Molvi are among those, who have left the PTI, citing various reasons but mainly due to May 9 incidents.

In related developments, Qureshi’s son Zain Hussain Qureshi denied media reports over his father’s meeting with the former PTI leaders in Adiala Jail. “I deny the impression being given in the media on Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s meeting with former PTI leaders in Adiala Jail today [Wednesday]. Makhdoom Sahib is the vice chairman of the party and the name of an ideology,” he explained.

“We stand with the PTI and Imran Khan’s ideology. Shah Mehmood Qureshi has done politics of principles and service till date and no post or greed can buy Shah Sahib. We were with Imran Khan yesterday and are today as well,” he said in a tweet.

PTI senior leader Asad Qaiser took to his Twitter account to clarify he has no contact with the party defector Fawad Chaudhry.Likewise, another PTI leader Hammad Azhar has said party chief Imran Khan will make the final decision regarding any ‘solution or advice by a friend’. “I am a worker of Chairman Imran Khan and an office-bearer of the PTI. If any friend wants to suggest any solution or give advice, Imran Khan will make the final decision,” he said in a statement in reaction to PTI defectors’ media talk.

While there has been a sudden drop in temperature, particularly during the last 24 hours, the political temperature has gone up significantly and it widely expected to shoot up further with each passing day.Meanwhile, PTI’s recently appointed Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan has said that rumours of negotiations with the PTI are being spread by some people who have already left the party.

“It is clarified that a committee has already been constituted to negotiate which shall do so with the permission of chairman Imran Khan. This was done to talk to those people in power who have pushed the country to the brink of collapse,” he added.He said that one fails to understand the need for negotiating with those who have already left and are no longer part of the PTI. He concluded that such rumours will not give any credibility to those people who displayed a humiliating paucity of character.