ISLAMABAD: The deserted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders had to kiss the dust on Wednesday as they failed to convince the incarcerated PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi to quit the party.

Well-place sources privy to the development told Business Recorder that a delegation of PTI defectors comprising Fawad Chaudhry, Imran Ismail, Mahmood Moulvi, and Aamir Kiani met Qureshi in the prison and tried to convince him to part ways with the deposed prime minister, who was removed from office via a vote of no-confidence in April last year.

However, the PTI heavyweight from Multan plainly told them that he “stands with an ideology which is incomplete without Imran Khan”, leaving the defectors with no option but to leave the prison disappointed.

Minutes after the meeting, Zain Qureshi, the son of Shah Mahmood took to Twitter, and said: “I completely deny the impression given in the media after the PTI defectors’ meeting with Shah Mahmood in jail”.

“Shah Mahmood is the vice chairman of PTI and PTI is an ideology. We stand with PTI and the ideology of Imran Khan. Qureshi has never compromised on principles…he was with Imran Khan and will stand with him”.

Fawad Chaudhry also claimed that they have contacted Ali Zaidi, Pervez Khattak, Asad Umar, Hammad Azhar, Asad Qaiser, Atif Khan, Farrukh Habib, and other leaders, adding that they have to move towards a stable solution.

But minutes after Chaudhry’s statement, Qaiser tweeted “I don’t have any contact with Fawad Chaudhry.”

Atif Khan said: “We stand with the decisions of the negotiating committee already constituted by chairman Imran Khan.”

Hammad Azhar also strongly reacted to Chaudhry’s claim, and said: “I’m the worker of Imran Khan and an office-bearer of PTI. If someone wants to give a proposal, its final approval will be Imran Khan’s decision”.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023