PTI expels former KP chief minister Mahmood Khan

• Mahmood Khan, other KP lawmakers had joined Pervez Khattak. 
• PTI remains embattled as several members part ways with Imran Khan. 
• Khattak says PTI completely finished in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday terminated the membership of former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Mahmood Khan after he defected to the former party leader Pervez Khattak-led breakaway faction, PTI Parliamentarians.

Several other PTI leaders including former KP lawmakers Wilson Wazeer, Ishtia Urmar, Iqbal Wazeer, Yaqoob Sheikh and Shafiq Afridi have also been expelled from the party.

Khattak, a former close aide of the ex-prime minister, formed PTI-Parliamentarians, days after being thrown out of the Imran Khan-led party earlier this month.

Announcing the formation of the new party, the former defence minister condemned May 9 attacks and violent protests.

"Our existence is directly linked to that of Pakistan. PTI is now completely finished in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," the former provincial chief minister, who holds an important position in the province's politics, said.

The politician, who served as the PTI's secretary general and chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the PTI government, was also sacked over his failure to respond to a “show cause notice” issued to him.

PTI remains embattled, with its chairman facing several cases and a threat of disqualification while key party leaders have parted ways following May 9 — the day party workers wreaked havoc and attacked army installations.

Some of former party members, considered close to the PTI chief previously, also dented his party in Punjab as Jahangir Tareen, Aleem Khan, and other people had formed the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party last month.