Nisar likely to join Imran Khan's PTI

ISLAMABAD: Disgruntled Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is likely to join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) later this month.

According to a report in Daily Jang, Nisar is in contact with PTI leaders through backdoor channels and more than one meeting has been held in this regard.

Sources told Daily Jang that Nisar will soon meet PTI chairman Imran Khan at his home and will announce to join his party.

Last week, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the PML-N president, met with Nisar at the CM House and discussed the key differences making headlines and a probable common ground.

Shehbaz Sharif meets Chaudhry Nisar, asks him to 'stay with party'

During the 45-minute long meeting, Nisar shared his reservations with the Punjab CM and PML-N president

Nisar and Shehbaz had a tête-à-tête in the backdrop of several statements by the former that could have severely dented party cohesion and proved damaging ahead of the 2018 general elections.

In an interview with a private TV channel, the former interior minister had threatened to quit the party if ‘maltreatment’ being meted out to him continued. He had also said that Nawaz would never allow Shehbaz to play the role of anything more than a second fiddle despite being the party president.

It is, therefore, believed that the meeting was arranged in urgency in the backdrop of the rapid-fire dissent and threats by Nisar to part ways with the PML-N, which many believe won’t just be a solitary exit.

Sources privy to the talking points of the meeting told The News that the PML-N leaders discussed the outstanding differences marring the relationship and probable common ground that could be reached to sort them out in a win-win situation on individual and party basis.

PML-N lawmaker Ramesh Kumar joins PTI, hopes Nisar follows suit

Kumar says he hopes Chaudhry Nisar also joins Imran Khan's party

The sources also revealed that Shehbaz pursued Nisar to stay with the PML-N and told him that he was an asset of the party, which needed his experience and support in the current testing times. He also tried to pursue Nisar to take up any issues of disagreement directly with the party leaders instead of washing the laundry in public and giving undue opportunity to critics to have a field day.

It is believed that Shehbaz is most likely to share Nisar’s message with PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif. However, whether both sides agreed to address the issues at the party forum and not to blow the matter over media could not be confirmed. Both leaders also discussed the political situation in the country and other party matters.

Originally published in The News