Farrukh Habib quits PTI, condemns May 9 incident

ISLAMABAD: Prominent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Farrukh Habib has severed ties with his former party to align himself with Jehangir Tareen’s Istehkaam e Pakistan Party (IPP), in a major political development. The move was announced at IPP office earlier today while Habib was flanked by IPP leaders including Aun Chaudhary.

Habib said he had severed contact with his family for the last twenty days and hadn’t been home for the past five months. Reflecting on the tragic events of May 9, he stated that everyone was distanced from their homes and were evading legal confrontations.

“In the sequence of situations and incidents, emotions go so far ahead that in reality, they are very far placed. I was also a victim of this turmoil,” he said.

Acknowledging the support he received, he mentioned, “My sincere friends helped me figure out that this is not a war between kufr and Islam.” He further commented on the vote of no confidence on April 9, terming it a constitutional process, “it happens, it happened constitutionally,” he remarked.

Post the vote of no confidence, Farrukh Habib pointed to a state of unrest among the party workers and the citizens of Pakistan induced by the leadership.

“Every time you announced violent protests instead of peaceful ones. We used to take beatings, but we used to call for peaceful protests.”

Farrukh Habib started his political career from the Insaf Students Federation (ISF) that he joined in 2007. He rose to become a Member of the National Assembly from August 2018 till July 2022 with the portfolio of a Minister of State from April 2021 till April 2022.

He was seen as a pioneering member of the ISF.

The Istehkaam e Pakistan Party, under the helm of Jehangir Tareen, emerged as a new political entity on June 8, 2023.

Tareen, also a former PTI stalwart, unveiled his party with a promise of national development, emphasizing the creation of a new political narrative dedicated to elevating Pakistan from its prevailing crises.