Senator Qadir ‘disassociates’ from party
Three Pakistan Tehreek – e-Insaf leaders including Maleeka Bokhari, Jamshed Cheema and Musarrat Cheema on Thursday announced quitting the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, joining a long list of leaders to desert the party following the May 9 riots.
“I condemn the events that transpired on May 9. For every Pakistani, the events that took place on May 9 are very painful,” the former member of the National Assembly said in a press conference in Islamabad.
Announcing her “dissociation” from the party, Bokhari said she wasn’t under duress and “no one forced me into making this decision”.
“As a lawyer, I want to play a positive role in Pakistan. I also want to spend time with my family,” she said.
Bokhari quit the party hours after her release from Adiala Jail, where she was sent after being arrested under Section 4 of the Maintenance of Public Order. In her presser, Bokhari backed the authorities’ decision to investigate the May 9 events and said the people behind the violent events should be punished. “When a red line has been crossed, then action should be taken in line with the law,” she added. Addressing a press conference, Jamshed Cheema said the events “caused embarrassment for Pakistan […] damaged democracy and the party’s democratic credentials, as well as the name of protest”.
Cheema said that he and his wife can’t continue politics and the affiliation with former prime minister Imran Khan’s party. “This career which is in our blood … it was not an easy decision to leave politics. You serve the nation in politics, but not at the cost of armed forces … not at the cost of people who protect the country,” he said.
Separately, PTI Senator Mohammad Abdul Qadir also announced his exit from the party as he condemned the May 9 riots and the attack on the Jinnah House. “I will sit as an independent member instead of sitting in the PTI’s benches in the Senate from now on,” he announced.
