Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, has experienced a significant setback ahead of national elections as one of his most trusted leaders resigned from his party and formed a rebel group in Khan’s stronghold region of northwest Pakistan.
Pervez Khattak, who served as Khan’s chief minister in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 2013 to 2018 and later as the defense minister, announced his departure from Khan’s party in a video message from Peshawar, the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Khattak stated that he made this decision in the “interest of the country.”
According to local media reports, Khattak was joined by at least 57 former lawmakers from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
This development comes shortly after Khattak’s party membership was suspended by Khan’s PTI for criticizing the former leader regarding alleged attacks by Khan’s supporters on state and military properties across the country following Khan’s arrest on May 9.
This is the second significant breakaway group to emerge in the past month, as many key leaders previously quit Khan’s party in Punjab, the largest province in Pakistan.
Imran Khan currently faces over 170 court cases, including charges of corruption, murder, and violence, since his removal from power in April of the previous year through a parliamentary vote of no-confidence.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who assumed office following Khan’s removal, has announced his intention to step down before the completion of the National Assembly’s five-year term next month, with elections potentially scheduled for November.