SQM members announce party's merger into PTI

A unique controversy has surfaced on Friday when few office-bearers of Swabi Qaumi Mahaz (SQM) announced that they have merged the party into Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. But SQM Chairman and MPA Babar Saleem reacted angrily and said that the party was founded by his father, late Dr Muhammad Saleem and as a chairman no other one has the right to take such decision.
SQM office-bearers who announced the merger included former senior vice chairman Noor Zada, vice chairman, Iqbal Ahmad, former general secretary, Laiqat Yousufzai and various other leaders and workers.
They announced the merger at a press conference held at Haqqani Library in district Swabi, which was attended by Speaker of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Asad Qaiser, PTI district president Anwar Haqdad Khan, former president Rangaiz Khan and various other office-bearers of the ruling party.
The PTI leaders, including the speaker have considered it a great victory and welcomed their decision but Babar said that the real SQM leaders had joined and supported him when he joined Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in presence of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Peshawar public meeting.
Noor Zada said that they held their meeting a few days back and the unanimous decision was that they should join a political party as soon possible.
"It was decided by the committee members that they should join PTI and contact between the leaders of the two parties were made," he said.
Liaqat said that in April 1994 they had founded SQM and the reason was that in past the district had only produced the workers who followed the leaders of various other districts and the Awami National Party (ANP) leadership had imposed candidates on them from other districts during the election.
Speaking on the occasion, Asad said that in Swabi, the PTI government had provided funds for University of Swabi building, established Women University Swabi, started the Gajju Khan Medical College, constructed roads and various educational institutions. He said that Swabi-Mardan road and Swabi-Jehanhgira road reconstruction was on the cards and its reconstruction would be inaugurated in next month.
Meanwhile MPA Babar said in a press statement he had joined the PML-N and before joining the ruling party he held meetings with the SQM leaders and workers.