Aamer Mehmood Kiani, Sanjay Gangwani and Karim Gabol on Wednesday announced they were leaving the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over the involvement of party workers and supporters in attacks on military and state assets following the arrest of Imran Khan in a corruption case on May 9.
In a press conference from Islamabad, former PTI leader Kiani—who served as the party’s additional secretary general—said he was leaving the party and politics entirely over the events that had unfolded on May 9. Describing the events of May 9 as a “national tragedy,” he condemned the rioting and unrest, stressing that it had proven “very painful” for him.
Noting that he had joined the party in 1996 and many of his family members belonged to the Pakistan Army, he said the incidents of May 9 did not permit him to continue his association with the PTI. “I have never made any statement against Pakistan’s forces,” he stressed. “After Allah, our survival is dependent on the Army, as our soldiers are sacrificing their lives,” he said, while also expressing condemnations of the attacks on the Lahore Corps Commanders’ house and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
He further maintained that he had not left Islamabad in three weeks and stopped attending meetings of the PTI leadership as it turned its sights on the Pakistan Army in recent months.
Also on Wednesday, Sanjay Gangwani and Karim Gabol—PTI lawmakers in the Sindh Assembly—announced they were exiting the party over the attacks on military installations. Gangwani announced his departure while standing with PTI Karachi leader Ali Zaidi, who told media that he would only leave the PTI when Imran Khan did.
The three resignations followed an announcement by PTI MNA Mahmood Baqi Moulvi, who said he was quitting the party for the rioting on May 9. In a press conference, Moulvi said he had no plans to join any other party as yet, but did not rule out his joining a “new party.”
There has been growing unease within the PTI’s ranks as the party has come under a crackdown following the chaos that unfolded after Khan’s arrest last week. Shortly after the incidents of May 9, the Pakistan Army issued a statement describing it as a “dark day” in Pakistan’s history. This was echoed by both a special corps commanders’ conference and a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC), which decided to prosecute all culprits under all relevant laws, including the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act. Over the past week, at least 4,000 PTI workers and supporters have been arrested, with authorities maintaining all individuals involved in last week’s demonstrations would be brought to book.