ISLAMABAD: There has been a great resentment within the ranks of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) over the recent inductions into the party, particularly over the leadership’s decision to accept controversial television personality Dr Aamir Liaquat Hussain.

Background interviews with a number of party activists and members reveal that they were extremely “disappointed” over this latest decision of the party and even raised questions over the mechanism for accepting the people in the party fold.

Criticising the leadership’s decision, the workers believe that there must be some criteria for accepting the people in the party and persons like Dr Aamir Liaquat, who had criticised the party and its workers many a time in the past and even written columns against the party, should have no place in the party.

Dr Aamir, along with TV actor Abid Ali, joined the PTI during a joint press conference with the party chief Imran Khan in Karachi on Monday. During the press conference, Dr Aamir claimed that the party would sweep the upcoming general elections in Karachi.

“Party workers are really disappointed. They believe that the party has been defaced,” said a PTI activist associated with the party’s media team. He went on to say that the party workers now believed that tomorrow the leadership would also open its gates for the people like Rana Sanaullah, Tallal Chaudhry and Daniyal Aziz.

Another worker made a very interesting comment, saying that the party’s standard had come down to Aamir Liaquat from Justice Wajihuddin.

A staunch PTI supporter and a renowned guitarist and singer Salman Ahmad also expressed his annoyance over Dr Aamir’s induction and reacted very strongly by announcing that he could no more support the party.

Through his social media page on Twitter, Salman Ahmed wrote that though he supported Mr Khan for decades, “but cannot do it anymore”.

“After 35 years of defending, supporting and justifying Imran Khan to the world, I no longer can,” he tweeted. In another tweet, Mr Ahmad stated: “I fear that reptiles surround him (Imran Khan).”

However, PTI’s informa­ tion secretary Fawad Chaudhry defended the decision of Dr Aamir’s induction, stating that “no one can be stopped from joining a party”.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Chaudhry said that the party had already launched a membership campaign and under its policy, every voter could become the party member. He said that the party would accept every person who would be supporting the ideology of the PTI and Imran Khan. However, he said, the decision to give a party position to someone was made by the core committee of the party.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2018