JKT launches IPP as PTI defectors find new boss

LAHORE    -    Once considered the main pillar of the now crumbling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, Jahangir Khan Tareen Thursday launched a new political party, the Iste­hkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), with a promise to bring stability in the country.

Tareen made this announce­ment in a press conference in a local hotel here in the presence of several PTI defectors includ­ing those who had left the party just before the no-trust motion moved against the former Prime Minister Imran Khan in March last year. Prominent among those who attended the event were Al­eem Khan, Ali Zaidi, Imran Ismail, Ishaq Khaqwani, Amir Kayani, Aun Chaudhry, Nuaman Langrial, Saeed Akbar Niwani and Firdous Ashiq Awan. 

Interestingly, former Infor­mation Minister Fawad Chaud­hary chose to take a seat on the back benches as he made a de­liberate attempt to avoid the TV cameras. Following an opening statement by Aleem Khan who is being tipped as party’s first pres­ident, Tareen started his conver­sation in a traditional style of Pa­kistani politicians saying that the country was going through “deli­cate times” and needed unity and cohesion to put it in the right di­rection. He was reading from a written script and did not take questions after the press confer­ence saying that they will bring their reforms agenda soon. 

Talking about the rationale be­hind forming a new party, the politician from the south Punjab recalled the days when he joined politics years back. Tareen said that he had joined politics only to serve this country. 

“I am not a traditional politician as I entered politics quite late. I was very hopeful to bring reforms in this country when I joined the PTI,” Tareen said. He further add­ed that he served PTI with great passion and struggled a lot to strengthen the party after 2013. 

“Our primary purpose was to bring reforms but unfortunately it couldn’t happen, and people lost hope due to our failure. We were supposed to correct our crippling economy, to improve relations with the foreign world and to do accountability but we couldn’t do anything in this regard,” said Ta­reen who used to be once a close confidant of PTI Chairman and former Prime Minister. In his maiden presser as patron-in-chief of the newly launched IPP, Tareen said that he along with his all fel­lows wanted to put his efforts to resolve all the problems that have plagued Pakistan. 

“We all really want to heal the wounds of this country by promot­ing unity, stability and tolerance,” said Tareen while adding that this nation desperately needs hope at this time. “This nation needs such leadership that can give it the nar­rative of hope and we are ready to serve this country”, he added. 

He was of the view that Pakistan will only progress if both the gov­ernment and opposition will re­alize their constitutional respon­sibilities. Talking about the tragic incidents of 9th May, Jahangir Ta­reen said that the culprits, planners and handlers of the saddest day must be booked at any cost. “The day of 9th May has changed the po­litical discourse of Pakistan. They entered the residences belong­ing to the Pak Army. They attacked the military installations and ran­sacked the fighter jet of M.M.Alam,” Tareen said and added that they don’t deserve any mercy while fac­ing the law. He maintained that the mob must be treated with the iron hand. According to Tareen, the pol­itics of the last few years hadreal­ly damaged the social fabric of so­ciety and there was a dire need to correct all these misdeeds. 

Tareen disclosed that more people will also join the party in days to come and they all will be heavyweights with huge vote banks in their respective con­stituencies. “We’ll safeguard the rights of youth, women and mi­norities with the support of our people,” Tareen said. He also vowed to bring reforms in agri­culture, economy, exports and the IT industry of the country.

Earlier, addressing the crowded press conference, founding leader of IPP Abdul Aleem Khan said that the aim of this party is to bring the judiciary, establishment and parliament on the same page for the development of the country. He said that the 9th May was the darkest day in the history of Paki­stan. “We all decided to gather on one platform after the incidents of May 9. We made contact with all our former colleagues and decid­ed to form a new political party,” said Aleem Khan. 

He called Tareen as his elder brother and said that it is just due to the political vision of Ta­reen that they all are sitting here together. Aleem Khan was of the view that they all spent more than a decade at one platform to build a ‘New Pakistan’ but unfor­tunately it wasn’t achieved.

“The chaos is pushing this country backward and the solu­tion to the problems of Paki­stan only lies in stability,” said Aleem Khan. He further added that there is a need to build a sta­ble and strengthened Pakistan in which people, judiciary, parlia­ment and establishment will be on one page.