PTI defectors led by Hashim Dogar form 'Democrats' group

• Dr Raas says group will retain its individuality.
• Democrats not to align with other political parties.
• Group will also not register with ECP.

LAHORE: A group of ex-Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) provincial lawmakers, who quit the party following the May 9 mayhem, have formed a new group and named it as 'Democrats'.

Former Punjab home minister Hashim Dogar, who also quit the party, is leading this new group, which also includes former education minister Dr Murad Raas.

Dr Raas said the group will retain its individuality and not participate in any alignment with other, bigger political parties of the country including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) or a new group being formed by Punjab's political stalwart Jehangir Khan Tareen.

The former minister said the group would not be registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The PTI continues to suffer major blows as the party faces a mass exodus of members left, right and centre. Big names including Dogar and Dr Raas are among the several legislators who have parted ways with the PTI, while some have also sidelined themselves from politics.

"We never thought we would part ways with the party," Dr Raas said alongside other leaders including Pir Ahmad Khagga, Raja Yawar Kamal and Chaudhry Adnan who all quit the PTI after the riots triggered by Chairman Imran Khan's arrest on May 9.

He laid the blame for the party's current predicament — facing intense criticism with scores of leaders and thousands of workers arrested across the country following the riots — on the party chairman's advisers in Lahore.

"We do not believe in the PTI's politics of violence," the former provincial minister said.

PTI defectors

A day earlier, another Punjab lawmaker Raza Nasar Ullah Ghumman also announced to quit the party. Ghumman was a PML-N MPA in 2013, who joined the PTI in mid 2018. He, however, lost the polls.

Ghumman said he would remain away from political activities for some time.

While some party members have resolved not to continue politics, others are flocking towards major political groups in the country.

On the other hand, some former PTI members including Mahmood Moulvi, Fawad Chaudhry and ex-Sindh governor Imran Ismail held a meeting with incarcerated PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Speaking during an interview on Geo News' programme "Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath", Moulvi said the outcome of the party's defectors' meeting would be visible soon.

"Our meeting with Shah Mehmood Qureshi at the jail was encouraging and its results would be revealed within two days," he said.