Why have so many Pakistani political figures abandoned Imran Khan’s party? https://tebift.com/why-have-so-many…mran-khans-party/
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two dozen leaders
More than two dozen leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf have resigned from the party in the wake of the violence that followed Khan’s arrest. Islamabad, Pakistan – More than two dozen leaders from former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have left the party since his controversial detention and the violence that followed it. The party blames the exodus on the ongoing government crackdown.Shireen Mazari’s departure from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday was the most significant blow to Khan’s party since the exodus began. Mazari, a former minister of human rights, has been jailed multiple times after her initial arrest on May 12 in connection with the violent demonstrations that followed Khan’s arrest.
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military sites
The lawmaker, who is 57 years old, denounced the violence, particularly the attacks on military sites, while addressing a news conference at her apartment in Islamabad on Tuesday evening. She also announced that she will no longer be active in politics.”The continuous release and arrest, as well as the ordeal that it caused for my daughter Imaan, had an effect on both my health and my mental state,” she said. As a result of all of these factors, I have made the decision to retire from active politics. She said, “And I want to add that as of today onwards, I will not be a member of PTI or any other political party,” which was a statement in which she made.PTI head Khan tweeted as more politicians deserted the party, “We had all heard about forced marriages in Pakistan, but for PTI a new phenomenon has emerged, forced divorces.”
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leaders being pressured to resign
While speaking to media inside of a courthouse in Islamabad on Tuesday, Khan made the allegation that the leaders of his party were being pressured to resign, but he did not specify who was responsible for the pressure.”People are not leaving the party voluntarily; rather, they are being threatened with firearms and coerced into doing so,” he stated. “Such strategies are incapable of bringing down political parties,” the author writes.Shibli Faraz, a top advisor to Khan, told Al Jazeera that while it was bad that some “good people” were forced to quit the party, he also referred to it as a blessing. Faraz was referring to the fact that some “good people” were forced to leave the party.
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the organization
There were some members of the party who were opportunists and served not as an asset but rather as a liability for the organisation. It is not the leadership that is important, but rather the people, with the exception of Imran Khan himself. As a result of him holding the main pull, our people are able to draw strength from him, as stated by Faraz.He said that the defections will not have an effect on the PTI’s performance in the upcoming general and provincial elections, and he referred to Khan as the most popular leader in the country.Everything that has been going on in the country is being done to postpone elections because the administration is terrified that the PTI will win with a landslide.
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vote of confidence
“Let the people decide who will rule them if it is a democratic society,” Faraz remarked.Khan was deposed from office in April of the previous year after he was defeated in a vote of confidence in parliament. Since then, he has been organising a campaign around the country to call for quick elections, which are scheduled to take place in October of this year. That Damned Establishment!Defections from political parties are not uncommon in Pakistan, where the military has an outsized role in domestic affairs, according to experts.The “establishment,” a name for the army that has administered the country directly for nearly three decades, is blamed for these alleged defections.British academic Sameen Mohsin Ali told Al Jazeera that “opportunistic and not ideological lines” are the norm in Pakistani politics.
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switch allegiances
“The political logic or dynamics of their constituencies and their chances for power impact their decisions on when to stay and when to quit, rather than their party allegiances. She told Al Jazeera that this is why politicians “switch allegiances” to the party that has the best possibility of forming a national or provincial government.While some lawmakers “abandoning the PTI ship” are known for their “toxic brand of politics,” political analyst Benazir Shah argued that the option of whether or not they should remain in politics should be left to the people.Voters should be able to remove such politicians from office, and they should be given that option. For the time being, though, it appears like the establishment is making that decision for them, Shah said Al Jazeera.
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attempts by the establishment
According to Shah, it is difficult to foresee the long-term effects of politicians leaving the PTI.Both the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz have been targets of attempts by the establishment to divide them. Yet the strategy only seldom succeeded. According to the Lahore-based expert, “these political parties proved resilient thanks to a loyal party base that was willing to endure long jail terms and court cases for the leadership.”A political science professor at Lahore’s Management Science, Asma Faiz, was more pessimistic of the PTI’s electoral prospects.These defections may hurt PTI’s chances in the upcoming election. Khan undoubtedly enjoys widespread popular support, but he needs formidable challengers who each bring their own vote bank.
