ISLAMABAD: The Pak­is­­­­tan Peoples Party (PPP) has received a major jolt in Khyber Pakhtun­khwa when its key leader and former MNA Noor Alam Khan announced his decision to join the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

Noor Alam Khan announced the decision during a news conference with PTI chairman Imran Khan at his Banigala residence here on Tuesday.

Accompanied by KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, party secretary general Jahangir Tareen and some other party leaders from KP, Mr Khan welcomed Noor Alam Khan in the party, saying that his joining would be beneficial for him as well as for the party.

Responding to a question, the former PPP MNA could not give a specific reason for his decision to quit the party and simply said that he could not work with the people involved in corruption and who exploited the poor. He said that when he was the MNA during the previous PPP government, he had formed a caucus in parliament against corruption where they had kept a check on the ministers and other members.

Mr Alam was considered to be a close confidant of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and sources in the PPP told Dawn that he was among those few people who had the privilege to enter Bilawal Houses in Lahore and Karachi and Zardari House in Islamabad without any security check and at any time of the day.

A senior PPP leader, who requested not to be named, said the party leadership and other members were surprised over Mr Alam’s decision as they did not see any apparent reason behind this move.

The sources said Mr Alam had not even met Mr Zardari during his recent five-day visit to Pesh­awar giving rise to speculations that he might not remain in the party for long.

The PPP last month suffered a loss when its former MNA from Murree Ghulam Murtaza Satti also joined the PTI.

Mr Satti was also present during Mr Alam’s joining of the party and said that they had decided to quit the party because of the alleged nexus between Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif.

He said it was not possible for them to face the brutalities of the Punjab government and to defend the people like Sharjeel Memon and Uzair Baloch.

There are reports that another PPP leader from Sialkot Firdous Ashiq Awan is also negotiating terms with the PTI for joining the party.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2017