ISLAMABAD: Former law minister Senator Babar Awan, who remained associated with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) as its legal wizard for 21 years, joined the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Friday.

PTI chairman Imran Khan welcomed Mr Awan and said his induction in the party would be beneficial to the PTI and to him (Mr Awan).

However, PPP secretary general Farhatullah Babar called the changing of loyalties by some PPP stalwarts a ‘sad’ story, but he was confident that their departure would not make any serious dent to the party.

The departure of Mr Awan is the fall of the seventh PPP wicket taken by PTI. Mr Awan is the first sitting parliamentarian who has parted his ways with the PPP.

Six PPP stalwarts have joined PTI in the recent past. They are: Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, Murtaza Satti, Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Noor Alam Khan,Nawabzada Ghazan­far Gul and Firdos Ashiq Awan.

Mr Awan, who was inducted in the PPP by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, announced, in an iftar party he hosted in his house in honour of the PTI chairman, that he was joining the PTI.

He also decided to vacate his seat in the Senate some eight months before the expiry of his term as senator and announced that he would soon present his resignation to Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani. Mr Awan’s five-year term will expire on March 11 next year and he has to vacate his Senate seat and sever all relations with PPP as under the 18th Amendment in the Constitution the defection clause does not allow any parliamentarian to retain his position in the previous political party, if he joins any other party.

Mr Babar said he was joining the PTI because he believed that it was the only party which could bring about change in the country and eradicate the menace of corruption.

Speaking at the Iftar party, Imran Khan hinted that Awami Muslim League (AML) president Shiekh Rashid Ahmed could also join the PTI in the near future.

He said his party would chalk out a new strategy to induct more and more leaders after Eid from other parties who were in constant touch with the PTI.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2017