PESHAWAR: Former chief minister Pervez Khattak launched a new political party here on Monday under the name of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTIP).

He claimed the support of 57 ex-assembly members and senior politicians, mostly belonging to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP). He said 20 others had sought some time to join his newly launched party.

He announced the new party name after holding an important meeting with his close aides at a hotel here. Those present were former

KP chief minister Mahmood Khan, ex-MNA Shaukat Ali, former environment minister Muhammad Ishtiaq Urmar, etc.

“Our existence is directly linked to that of Pakistan. The PTI is now completely finished in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,” Khattak said. He claimed that his previous political party wasted election opportunities thrice or more. He said the PTI chairman had been offered elections multiple times, but he always rejected them.

“Why Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rejected election opportunities three to four times? We had gotten chances to hold elections. It is big secret why PTI wasted the chances of elections. Everyone would be shocked the day when the secret is revealed about the PTI’s plan,” he claimed.

Talking to The News after the first meeting of new party, he said: “We will make the PTIP the biggest party of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through our hard work like we did for the PTI in the past.”

Sounding upbeat, he said he and former chief minister Mahmood Khan had served the people for years and carried out record development projects in the province. “Mahmood Khan and I served Khyber Pakhtunkhwa twice in which he launched sahulat cards, Swat Motorway, Peshawar BRT, forest preservation and other road network,” he added. Khattak said they had laid the foundation for a democratic political party in which slots would be assigned to leaders on merit while party manifesto would be implemented in letter and spirit to serve masses in a true sense.

Coming down hard on PTI chief and former prime minister Imran Khan, Khattak alleged that he had prepared the PTI’s Tigers Force on the pattern of Nazis of Hitler. “Imran Khan had never taken the core committee members into confidence on various vital issues and had always taken unilateral decisions on the advice of his kitchen cabinet,” he complained.

“Launching of a new party came due to differences and conflict within the PTI on May 9 tragedy,” he said and added that all political leaders joining the PTIP held PTI chairman Imran Khan responsible for the May 9 riots.

“Imran Khan’s anti-country agenda was not only rejected by the public but also the party’s own leadership. These patriotic politicians parted ways with the PTI over May 9 events,” he added.

Pervez Khattak condemned the May 9 violence and demanded stern action against the rioters. Khattak said: “We will announce the party flag and manifesto soon. We will take all decisions in national interest.

With the establishment of PTI Parliamentarians, political observers said that the PTI was now completely finished in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Khattak was expelled from the PTI last week, and the move was considered a big political setback for the PTI chief, especially, in KP where his party ruled for nine years. “Majority of politicians that joined Pervez Khattak’s party today are electables and it would be very difficult for Imran to win seats in KP in the upcoming general election,” said Wajid Ali Khan, former environment minister and ANP leader while talking to the media.

The joining of the PTI Parliamentarians by former CM Mahmood Khan, former National and KP Assembly lawmakers Ishtiaq Urmar, Ziaullah Bangash, Malik Wajid, Arbab Wasim, Imran Khattak, Shaukat Ali, Sher Akbar Khan, Ghazan Jamal and others have testified that Imran Khan’s politics was over in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa forever. “Mahmood Khan had served as PTI’s Swat President, Ishtiaq Urmar PTI’s Peshawar President and Pervez Khattak remained PTI KP President and their separation has proved the last nail in the coffin of PTI,” said Wajid. “Imran Khan’s legacy is hate, negativity and accusations. Imran has pushed the country several years back and destroyed social values besides promoting the culture of intolerance and nepotism in society. That is why the founder PTI leaders left him today in Peshawar,” he said.

Professor Dr A Z Hilali, former chairman Political Science Department, at the University of Peshawar, said the ransacking of public and private properties and attacks on defence installations during the May-9 vandalism had widened the gap between Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf and Pervez Khattak group that split the party into two groups in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.