MARDAN: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Zeeshan Khanzada has resigned from the basic membership of the party and announced to join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Zeeshan Khanzada met Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad last night and showed his intention to join the PTI. Defence Minister Pervez Khattak was also present during the meeting.
It may be noted that Zeeshan Khanzada’s family has been affiliated with the PPP since its inception.His father Khanzada Khan contested elections on PPP ticket and was twice elected Member of National Assembly from his native Mardan. He also remained senator twice.
Khanzada Khan also served as president of the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Khanzada Khan’s family was victimised by the General ZiaulHaq regime and their business remained closed till 1988. His elder brother Haji Jalat Khan had won election for a provincial assembly seat on the PPP ticket in 1977 and had remained administrator of Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA).
Some relatives of Khanzada Khan, including provincial minister Mohammad Atif Khan, had already joined the PTI.In the 2008 general election, Khanzada Khan contested and won election for NA-11 Mardan. However, in the 2013 general he lost this seat.
Before the 2018 general election, former federal minister, Khwaja Mohammad Khan Hoti joined the PPP and wished to contest election from this constituency. Khanzada Khan agreed and requested the party to allot provincial constituency PK-49 ticket to his son Zeeshan Khanzada.
The PPP leadership ignored his request and instead allotted ticket to the widow of Abdul Akbar Khan, a popular PPP leader who on several occasions won election as MPA and served as Speaker of the provincial assembly.
This prompted Zeeshan Khanzada to try and persuade his father to join another party, but Khanzada Khan did not want to end his long affiliation with PPP. He is still part of the PPP, but his household would henceforth have split loyalty for both the PPP and PTI.
