KARACHI: Former Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Irum Azeem Farooque announced that she has joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) yesterday.
She admitted that the party had offered her the position in the following tweet:
PTI leadership has been in touch with me since a few month and has Respectfully offered me to join them.
— Irum Azeem Farooque (@Irumf) August 1, 2017
Yes today I announce joining #PTI
The announcement to resign from MQM came after the party chief Altaf Hussain’s anti-Pakistan statement on the 22nd of August.
Personally, she claimed that the alleged slogan of ‘Pakistan Murdabad’ during MQM’s hunger strikes was the cause of her leaving. The actual resignation occurred two days ago, but she waited until the party’s strike had ended to publicly declare it.
The former lawmaker’s shift of political support has been viewed with controversy, as it happened so soon after Naz Baloch’s resignation from PTI, and during the press conference set to discuss the serious allegations leveled at Imran Khan by Ayesha Gulalai Wazir (also former PTI lawmaker). Farooque was openly critical of the latter’s frequent change of political alliances, declaring that she might as well resign from parliament in the following tweets:
Isn't #AishaGulalai the lady who was previously with PPP then APML then #PTI
— Irum Azeem Farooque (@Irumf) August 1, 2017
Her serious allegations against IK should be investigated.
If #AishaGulalai has major problems with #PTI leadership
— Irum Azeem Farooque (@Irumf) August 1, 2017
Did she resigned as yet ?
Regarding Iram Farooque’s switch from MQM to PTI, the internet has had various reactions, but most have been overwhelmingly positive and welcoming:
Welcome Irum Azeem Farooqi MPA Sindh Assembly to PTI. An outstanding and committed political worker extremely popular in Karachi.
— Naeem ul Haque (@naeemul_haque) August 1, 2017
Welcome aboard
— Ali Haider Zaidi (@AliHZaidiPTI) August 1, 2017
About time. Pakistan needs people like you to participate in politics more actively than ever.
— Aamna Hassan Fasihi (@AamnaFasihi) August 1, 2017
