The success and eventual entry into the corridors of power by Imran Khan was made possible by the independents parachuting into the ranks of the PTI and the blessings of the powerful military establishment, who were very keen to see their blue-eyed boy as the Prime Minister. The romance of the independents and the PTI ended as quickly as it began – with the end of the support from the establishment. And now the independents started abandoning ship because rats are the first to leave a sinking ship.
Imran Khan should now realise the delusion of coming to power on the basis of his own popularity was a mistake and he should ponder and reflect on his strategy in 2018 – as well as his disastrous policies and mistakes during his days in power. He can perhaps take a leaf from history and learn from the experiences of the PPP, the PML-N and the MQM and their collision and reconciliation with the Powers That Be in this country.
Jahangir Tareen has cordial relations with the PML-N leadership and both parties will try for some sort of arrangements or seat adjustments in the Punjab. It is yet to be seen how much damage the IPP will do to the substantial vote bank of the PTI.
So far, the IPP has managed to collect over 100 former MNAs and MPAs of the PTI including some leading members such as Amir Kiani, Fawad Chaudhry, Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chauhan and Pervez Khattak, including former Sindh governor Imran Ismail, ex-shipping minister Ali Zaidi, Firdous Ashiq Awan, Mahmoud Molvi, Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, Murad Raas and Jai Parkash.
Meanwhile, GG Jamal from the merged districts in KP, Ajmal Parvez, Nauman Langrial from Punjab and Naurez Shakoor also joined the new party.
Former adviser to Punjab chief minister for Auqaf and religious affairs Syed Rafakat Ali Gillani also joined Tareen’s party.
Ex-MPA from Chishtian Mumtaz Mehrvi also announced joining Istehkam-e-Pakistan.
Similarly, former MPA from Sahiwal, Mehr Irshad Kathia, Mian Usman Ashraf from Nankana Sahib, and Major (retd) Khurram Rokhiri from Mianwali decided to join the new party.
And there are many more, but has this party got enough workers? That is yes to be determined.
For his part, Imran Khan still believes in the false notion that anyone with a PTI ticket will definitely win, and that the desertion of so many party stalwarts does not damage his chances of sweeping the next general elections.
In actual fact, the newly created party of Jahangir Tareen will probably succeed in spoiling the vote bank of different parties and this will result in another very weak coalition government at the mercy of the smaller members of the coalition and unable to usher in very urgently needed reforms in many areas. If the Powers That Be are again thinking of another political experiment, they should think – not twice, but many times – before making such a policy blunder and introducing new variables into the political arena. Pakistan today is in the throes of a disastrous political and economic crisis and in desperate need of political stability. The need of the hour is a pure unadulterated secular democracy and an end to political experimentation once for all.
Former PTI stalwart Jahangir Tareen, the sugar baron from south Punjab, announced in Lahore: “We are laying the foundations of a new political party Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party.”
He was flanked by two other PTI stalwarts that is Aleem Khan and the former governor Sindh Imran Ismail. Most leaders of the PTI decided to leave the party after the riots instigated by Imran Khan on 9th of May when the PTI supporters and workers attacked military establishments and ransacked many monuments and government properties across the country. Jahangir Tareen and Aleem Khan had parted ways wit Imran Khan much earlier. Later in the day a group of 25 MPAs belonging to the Tareen group managed to topple the PTI-led government in Punjab by voting in favor of Hamza Shehbaz in the chief minister election in April last year. In December 2017, the Supreme Court disqualified Tareen, who was the PTI secretary general at that time, declaring that he had proven dishonest under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution and Section 99 of Representation of People Act (ROPA) on one count among the multiple charges brought against him.
On 27 September 27 2018, the same apex court bench rejected a review petition. In view of the Supreme Court decisions, it is not clear how Jahangir Tareen will act as the supreme leader of his newly formed political party. According to party insiders, Jahangir Tareen will be the first chairman after the removal of his disqualification and Aleem Khan will be appointed the party president with Aun Chaudhry acting as the chief organiser of the party.