Javed Hashmi joins Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

MULTAN: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) firebrand leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi has reached the Multan airport and announced that he is joining Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) Saturday, Geo News reported.

Before leaving for Multan airport, PML-N workers blocked the road outside his house to prevent him reaching the airport. Workers were chanting slogans and expressed their solidarity with the party and the senior leader.

However, Hashmi was successful in reaching the airport to catch his flight for Karachi where PTI chief Imran Khan is likely to receive him at the Karachi airport.

While talking exclusively to Geo News earlier on Friday, Hashmi said that he would decide about joining PTI after consulting with his comrades here in his constituency. He told that he and Imran Khan were in talks on the same.

To a question regarding his party’s reaction on this development, a disillusioned Hashmi said that he had conveyed his reservations to the party leadership.

He told Geo News that he had talked to Mian Nawaz Sharif on the phone and Kulsoom Nawaz in person to discus his change of mind.

He said that PTI could bring about a big change in the country, but how big a change would it be was hard to comment on beforehand.

"I also long for a change, and that's exactly what I was up to now", said he.

He said he never practised the 'politics of/for power', rather 'politics of/for people', adding he was not considering joining PTI for securing a 'commanding position' or a ‘prominent portfolio’.

Commenting on Shah Mehmood Qureshi, he said that if he and Qureshi were on the same side they could work miracles.