PTI Sindh President Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, ex-governor Sindh Imran Ismail quit politics, resign from PTI positions over May 9 mayhem

KARACHI, May 27 (SABAH): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh President Syed Ali Haider Zaidi and former governor sindh Imran Ismail joined a long list of leaders jumping ship as he announced on Saturday that he is quitting politics and resigned from party positions.

In a video message, Syed Ali Haider Zaidi said that he had joined politics for Pakistan and had already condemned the May 9 incidents.

“Pakistan’s armed forces are our pride and because of them, we sleep peacefully because they protect our borders. What happened [on May 9] was very wrong and everyone should be held accountable whoever may be involved in it,” said the PTI leader, who was shifted to Jacobabad jail last week.

The former federal minister said that after a lot of thinking he took the “difficult decision” of leaving politics.

“I’m quitting politics. I’m resigning from my positions of Tehreek-e-Insaf Sindh president, core committee member and MNA,” said Zaidi.

Ali Zaidi said that he will continue to “work for Pakistan and bring investments from abroad” which he used to do before entering politics.

“I used to bring foreign exchange to Pakistan before entering politics, I want to do that work again. I am saying goodbye to politics,” said the former federal minister and ended his video statement with a pro-army slogan.

Meanwhile former Sindh governor Imran Ismail on Saturday announced his departure from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) following his release from jail.

The PTI leader, condemning the May 9 protests that erupted after PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest, spoke in support of the Pakistan Army and criticised the former ruling party’s anti-establishment tirade.

Addressing his “last political press conference”, Imran Ismail said that his affiliation and ties with Khan were very good. He recalled the time when the PTI was formed, saying he was very young and was part of a group of three to four people who laid the party’s foundation.

“I always chased the dream of making Pakistan a better country and we got that chance when our party came into power in 2018. We decided to struggle and take part in the elections once again. We saw a lot of things from public rallies to attack Imran Khan but then we saw a diversion,” he added.

He said that a narrative started building that the PTI is against the Pakistan Army, which a lot of leaders were uncomfortable with.

“A lot of people advised Imran Khan while many also spoke against it. We used a lot of names ‘Mr X’, ‘Dirty Harry’ and hence, the public had a perspective that the PTI is against the army,” he continued.

Speaking about the “evil” May 9 riots that erupted after the PTI chief’s arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case, Ismail said that the attacks happened on the General Head Quarters (GHQ), Corps Commander House, and the memories of the martyrs.

He said that whoever was a part of these attacks should be inquired — whether that person belongs to the PTI or not.

The former Sindh governor spoke in support of the army, saying that he was not a part of the riots and that the FIR against him was “baseless”.

“After giving it a lot of thought, I have decided to step down from all PTI positions. I am leaving PTI and I don’t know if I will continue to remain active in politics. Today, I say goodbye to Imran Khan and PTI,” he concluded.

Earlier, former federal minister and PTI leader Makhdum Khusro Bakhtiar announced to part ways with Imran Khan. In a video statement, Bakhtiar said that he had advised the PTI leadership a year ago that a front against institutions will be harmful. He added that he had left the core committee membership and leadership of the South Punjab chapter a year ago.

The former minister said that the incidents of May 9 forced him to distance himself from PTI’s ideology.