ISLAMABAD: Former senator and JUI-F central leader Talha Mahmood formally joined the PPP on Tuesday and is likely to become an upper house member from the Peoples Party’s platform in the upcoming elections.

He announced the decision at a press conference in Islamabad along with PPP General Secretary Nayyer Bukhari and PPP Central Informa­tion Secretary Faisal Karim Kundi.

Mr Bukhari welcomed Mr Mahmood into the PPP’s folds and called it a positive addition to the party.

Mr Mahmood, a former religious affairs minister, said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had invited him to join his party. He said President Asif Ali Zardari also held a “detailed meeting” with him a week ago and asked him to join the PPP.

“I am joining the PPP with my colleagues,” he added.

Mr Mahmood told Dawn that his decision to leave the JUI-F and join the Peoples Party was solely based on his commitment to serve the national politics.

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“Everyone has to contribute to overcome these difficulties, and it’s my passion to serve the whole nation,” he said.

He said he had been part of the JUI-F for a long time and there were no differences between him and the party leadership. However, he regretted that the JUI-F had limited itself to KP and Balochistan.

“With so many years in the JUI-F, I have noticed that the party does not even want to enter or establish its roots in Punjab and Sindh,” he added. “I decided to join a mainstream party and my only options were PTI, PML-N and the PPP.”

Mr Mahmood said he finally chose the PPP because “we all know the situation that the PTI is facing now, whereas the PML-N is in serious internal crisis”.

He insisted that he was under no pressure from any authority or institution to join the PPP or leave the JUI-F. “There is no reason for anybody to pressurise me to leave the JUI-F,” he said, adding that JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was also not a threat to any entity.

He also revealed that Mr Rehman recently had “serious meetings” in Sau­di Arabia and that he wou­ld likely “tone down” his stance in the coming days.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2024