Former minister of Imran Khan joins Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party

The former PTI leader had left the party in June over the violent May 9 events that took place after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Akhtar began his politics with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and was a federal minister during Musharraf rule before joining the PML-N again. He did file papers for the 2018 general election but withdrew in favour of Imran Khan and joined the PTI.

Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) was founded by former PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen, who was once a close aide of PTI Chairman.

Notably, several other PTI defectors had joined the IPP earlier this year, namely Aleem Khan, Imran Ismail, Ali Zaidi, Fayyazul Hasan Chohan, Amir Mehmood Kayani and Firdous Ashiq Awan.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Tareen and Aleem, Akhtar said on Saturday that he will decide from which constituency to contest the forthcoming general elections after consultation with IPP leaders.

"I am confident that the IPP can improve the conditions of the country and the poor," Akhtar said, adding that the IPP wants to solve "real issues" in the country, such as unemployment.

He said that IPP leaders knew the challenges being faced by the country and the solutions to them.

He said the IPP leadership had an important role in the PTI's creation and winning the 2018 elections when the country's youth were looking towards the PTI.

Meanwhile, the number of desertions from the PTI to the IPP has ramped up in the lead-up to the elections, according to Dawn.

On November 21, over 30 disgruntled PTI union committee chairmen from Karachi announced that they would 'support' the IPP. On November 19, Ali Nawaz Awan made a public appearance and joined the IPP.

In October, Farrukh Habib, Andleeb Abbas, Sadia Sohail and Sumaira Bokhari also joined the IPP. (ANI)