Former IB chief Masood Sharif quits PTI

Lahore: The youth of every era of Pakistan’s political history have been desirous of a CHANGE and this phenomenon is ongoing. I have firmly held the agenda for CHANGE close to my heart from the time I was a young man. This is why I identify myself with the youth of Pakistan despite my age. Therefore, at the time I am parting ways with the PTI, I want to extend my apologies to the vibrant youth within the PTI with whom I always enjoyed a very healthy relationship. Much that I had wanted to play a positive and solid role in bringing about a CHANGE certain lobbies deep within the top hierarchy of the PTI and, sadly, the Chairman (Imran Khan) himself were out to ensure that I am not able to play that role and am not effective in any manner to help in bringing about the agenda of CHANGE. The very purpose of my joining the PTI in the first place was thus destroyed. I had many options open to me when I joined the PTI full of fervour and enthusiasm to help expedite the growth of the PTI. By his arrogance and contemptuous indifference Imran Khan himself, playing into the hands of the sycophants around him, destroyed my fervour, motivation and enthusiasm to an extent that today I am forced to take this unpleasant decision of parting ways with the PTI. I hope the PTI cadres realize that the responsibility of losing dedicated people like me lies more with their own Chairman (Imran Khan) than anyone else. I hung on in PTI by swallowing my pride for as long as I could. I could bring it this far (1year and 6 months) and no more.

2.Having said that I shall now like to announce to the people of Pakistan, through the country’s vibrant print and electronic media, that I am no longer affiliated with the PTI in any way whatsoever. There should now be no confusion of any sort that I am a free citizen of Pakistan having the right to associate, or not to associate, myself in any manner with any individual or political party of Pakistan. In the foreseeable future I see myself as an independent politician and will also contest the coming general elections from my home Constituency i.e. KARAK (NA 15) as an independent candidate.

3.As of now I shall support all positive actions and decisions of any political party (including PTI), politician and/or association which are in the best interest of Pakistan. While I will always relish the memories of my slain political leader of more than two decades i.e. Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto I cannot say that I will relish the bitter memories I take away of my days with the politically amateurish Imran Khan. However, I will certainly hold close to my chest the lovely memories of my association with the common workers of the PTI.

4.I am leaving PTI mainly because I have lost faith in the sense of fair play, justice and other leadership attributes that I thought Imran Khan possessed and would also practice. Sycophants and people who can help support Imran Khan’s aims and objectives with funds etc were always the in people. Thankfully, I do not qualify on both counts and, thus, after a suffocating year and a half I now have no option but to part ways with Imran Khan. At my age and with my experience self respect, dignity and honour means a lot more than anything else. I and some others who have left the PTI did not join it just to clap for Imran Khan but to be effectively utilized for the bringing about of the CHANGE Agenda for Pakistan. If Imran Khan is unable to utilize the limited human resources/experience voluntarily available to PTI he cannot, rest assured, do the same for Pakistan.

5.Let me say that, on 11/11/11 I was the first known personality who joined PTI after the Lahore jalsa of 30 Oct 2011. For whatever reasons, thereafter, others followed. Many of those who joined PTI after I had joined it left PTI long ago. From Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the prominent people, besides me, who joined PTI, were Khwaja Khan Hoti, Iftikhar Jhagrha, Iftikhar Gillani, and Pervaiz Khattak. All of them, except Pervaiz Khattak, have left one by one due to Imran Khan’s arrogance and contempt of the political elders/personalities from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within his ranks. Pervaiz Khattak is the only one left and it is common knowledge that he too is very upset by the fact that his loss in the completely rigged elections for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa PTI President was manipulated at the highest levels. How can Imran Khan , whose Central Secretariat is divided into so many lobbies, each trying to promote (by hook or crook), the elections of one, or another, candidate talk about demanding fair and free elections in Pakistan and claim that none but he (Imran Khan) can save Pakistan? Malpractices like corruption, nepotism, favouritism, intrigues, and conspiracies etc that exist on the Pakistani political landscape and within other political parties also exist within the PTI upper hierarchy. Since I did not believe in being a part of the lobbies within the PTI it became increasingly difficult for me to remain an effective and productive member of the PTI. Today, it has become impossible for me to remain in the PTI anymore with my pride, self respect, dignity and honour intact.

6.Despite many invitations from me for a jalsa at Karak Imran Khan avoided going there. Imran Khan chose to neglect KARAK and the southern Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. So much so that Imran Khan said on Television that he will go to KARAK if the day would be of 48 hours. I cannot accept as a leader of mine a person that neglects and accords no importance to KARAK and the southern Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

7.I also think it necessary to remind the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that in 2002 Imran Khan contested against me from NA 15 (KARAK) and lost securing 9000 odd votes that were actually cast in his favour through the support of two influential local politicians whose purpose was to break my vote bank. I lost that election in 2002 and was placed second because of this dent in my vote bank. That Imran Khan never once, since 2002, venture across from Mianwali to Karak to thank the Khattaks for having given him 9000plus votes in 2002 shows his indifference towards the Khattaks of KARAK, in particular, and the Pakhtuns in general.

8.Last but not least, the Pakhtuns should ask themselves that if Imran Khan has treated all the prominent political personalities from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who joined the PTI with utter contempt, disrespect, neglect and arrogance how can he ever give the Pakhtuns (as a people) their due respect once he has utilized their political support? All of us from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who joined Imran Khan were used by him (Imran Khan) to give a boost to the momentum gained from the 30 October 2011 Lahore Jalsa and then treated with arrogance and contempt of a degree that I have never seen anywhere in Pakistani politics. The Pakhtuns respect those who respect their elders. Imran Khan has treated all Khyber Pakhtunkhwa political elders/reputed personalities with utter contempt, disrespect and arrogance. Therefore, it is time for the Pakhtuns to open their eyes and not be used once again as they have always been used by one or another political leader to further their own cause and then forget them.

9.The PTI common supporter and worker saw me amongst them in Mardan, Jhagrha, Peshawar, Chitral, Haripur, Khanspur, Ghazi, right at the head of the Peace March, Islamabad, Kasur, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi etc. I now do not have the heart to carry on with all this due to Imran Khan’s absolutely contemptuous, arrogant, biased, prejudiced and unjust attitude towards people like me who value their self respect, dignity and honour. The common workers of the PTI are the only people I will miss from my days with the PTI.