Many political personalities, including former members of the National and provincial assemblies from Southern Punjab, have declared their intention to join the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
The development follows a meeting with PPP’s co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari at Bilawal House. Former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gillani, ex-Punjab governor Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood, former Senate chairman Nayyar Hussein Bokhari, and Hassan Murtaza were also in attendance.
The politicians joining the PPP include Qutub Farid Koreja, a former MNA, and several ex-MPAs such as Allah Wasaya Chunnu Leghari, Rasool Bakhsh Jatoi, Tehseen Nawaz Gardezi, Abbas Alamdar Qureshi, Pir Jaffer Muzamil, Abdul Ghafoor Arain, Amir Hyder Wattoo, Salman Ayub Mohal, Qasim Ali Shamsi, and Fariha Batool.
These politicians primarily originate from Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Mianwala, Khanewal, and Okara.
Zardari extended a warm welcome to the newcomers. Speaking to the press, Gillani suggested that PTI Chairman Imran Khan erred by dissolving assemblies and criticized the incidents of May 9. He added that their party attracts interest from many politicians and that the best-performing party will form the next government.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah stated that it is PPP’s right to establish a stronghold in Punjab, just as the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has the right to do so in Sindh. He pointed out that this is not the first instance of people leaving PTI to join other parties. However, he clarified that PML-N currently can’t accommodate everyone.