PPP's Asif Zardari ropes in several ex-lawmakers

• Announcement comes after lawmakers' meeting with Zardari.
• Zardari welcomes new additions to party fold.
• Interior minister says PML-N doesn't have capacity to incorporate all.

LAHORE: A large number of political figures including former members of the National Assembly and provincial assembly belonging to Southern Punjab have announced joining Pakistan Peoples Party, The News reported Thursday.

The announcement came after the lawmakers' meeting with the PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari at Bilawal House.

Former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gillani, former Punjab governor Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood, former Senate chairman Nayyar Hussein Bokhari, and Hassan Murtaza were also present on the occasion.

The new PPP members include former MNA Qutub Farid Koreja, former MPAs Allah Wasaya Chunnu Leghari (father of former PTI MPA and Punjab cabinet member Khurram 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.

The majority of these politicians hail from Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Mianwala, Khanewal, and Okara.

Zardari welcomed the new additions to the party fold.

While talking to the media, Gillani said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan committed a mistake by dissolving assemblies. He said the entire nation including PTI members were condemning May 9 incidents.

The law would take its course and “we are not to decide as to who would be minus in the future”. He said no party should have a militant wing. Many politicians are in contact with the PPP, and the party with good performance would form the next government, he added.

While speaking on Geo News' programme Geo Pakistan, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that PPP had every right to strengthen its roots in Punjab the same way Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has the right to do so in Sindh.

Referring to those disassociating themselves from PTI, the minister said that it was not happening for the first time as many people had joined other parties after quitting PTI in the past.

He, however, made it clear that PML-N did not have enough capacity to incorporate everyone.