Another MPA joins PSP, this time it is PTI’s loss

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MPA Syed Hafeezuddin joined former Karachi mayor Mustafa Kamal-led Pak Sarzameen Party on Friday.

The announcement was made by Kamal at a press conference at Bagh-e-Jinnah, the venue where the PSP’s first rally is scheduled on April 24.

At the start of the press conference, Kamal welcomed Hafeezuddin into the party’s fold.

Speaking on the occasion, Hafeezuddin noted that Turkey’s current president was once the mayor of Istanbul which he turned into an economic centre not only for the Muslim world but Europe as well. “That is how I want Mustafa Kamal to lead the nation,” he added.

Hafeezuddin, the first PTI leader to join the PSP, had secured the PS-93 in the 2013 general elections.

He was disqualified over his alleged involvement in rigging and the Jamat-e-Islami candidate Abdul Razzak was declared the winner, but after fighting a legal battle, Hafeezuddin had succeeded in retaining the seat. 

Giving his reasons for leaving the PTI, Hafeezuddin said the party had failed to deliver. He added that several complaints were lodged about an internal rift in the party.

“The PTI was established in Karachi after much struggle but those efforts didn’t pay off,” he added.

Hafeezuddin pointed out that during the local government polls, the PTI ditched the constituencies from where it had won over 50,000 votes in the general election.

He announced that he was also resigning from his Sindh Assembly seat

Though he did not directly criticise PTI chief, he said Imran Khan was surrounded by incompetent people who had no political vision.  

PTI’s response

Reacting to Hafeezuddin’s resignation, the PTI said the party had launched an inquiry against him over two affairs - first into indulging into sectarian politics as he had held a press conference against the party’s president Karachi, Ali Zaidi.

Secondly, the party was also probing into accusation against him of rigging in the intra-party elections in Sindh and a commission led by Justice (retd) Wajihuddin was also investigating into the affair.

PTI spokesperson Dawa Khan said Hafeezuddin was known for unnecessarily bickering with his colleagues and was also not liked by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the party he was earlier affiliated with.  “We should now pray for the PSP,” he added. 

Hafeezuddin had started his political career with the Jamaat-e-Islami but was not active there. Later he had joined the PML-N and then had affiliated himself with the PTI, where he was the general secretary before Khan had dissolved the entire set-up.

Political pundits believe that after the PTI failed to muster support, the PSP was launched and all those “having links to certain quarters” may join the party.

—Originally published in The News