LAHORE/TOBA TEK SINGH: Pakistan Muslim League-Zia chief Ijazul Haq on Sunday called on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan at his Zaman Park residence and announced merging his party into the PTI.

Mr Haq, along with his party leaders, visited Imran and expressed complete trust in his leadership, PTI manifesto and the ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ agenda.

“We decided to merge Muslim League-Zia into the PTI for a bigger cause of real independence,” Mr Haq said and added that he would perform any duty assigned by the party chief.

Mr Khan welcomed Mr Haq and his companions into the party.

After Ijazul Haq’s joining the PTI, there are rumours in Toba Tek Singh that he could be the PTI candidate from district (NA-112) in the next general election.

He was elected as the MNA from the same constituency (erstwhile NA-72) in 1990 by defeating PPP’ Ghiasuddin Janbaz (late) but as Ijaz was also elected from Rawalpindi, he vacated the Toba seat. Later, in the by-election, his maternal uncle Mian Abdul Waheed of Lahore had won the seat.

In 2013, he had contested election from Bahawalnagar on the ticket of his own PML-Zia. Political observers say that he could be a PTI candidate from Bahawalnagar or Toba Tek Singh or contest on both seats.

Presently, Junaid Anwar Chaudhry of the PML-N is the MNA from NA-112 and he had defeated the PTI’s Chaudhry Muhammad Ashfaq who had secured more than 100,000 votes.

Talking to Dawn’s correspondent in Toba Tek Singh by phone, Ijazul Haq said he would abide by the party (PTI) decision regarding his constituency in the election. He said “there were three options, first, he might contest simultaneously from three NA seats of Rawalpindi, Toba Tek Singh and Bahawalnagar; second, there is a possibility of him contesting election on two seats of Toba Tek Singh and Bahawalnagar while the third option is that he might contest from any one seat of Toba Tek Singh or Bahawalnagar”.

CONDEMNATION: The PTI leaders on Sunday continued condemnation of the police action and raids on the party leaders’ homes and public meeting sites.

PTI senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry condemned the police raids, saying the police were again planning a raid on Imran Khan’s residence at Zaman Park.

“When the court time closes, policemen start coming out of their dens and unleash torture on innocent party workers and supporters,” he said.

Mr Chaudhry requested the Lahore High Court chief justice to notify special courts after closing hours of regular courts to check the excesses being committed by the caretaker government.

“We are formally approaching the Chief Justice against the police operation,” he announced.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2023