Aamer Kiani becomes 2nd PTI leader to part ways with Imran Khan
Aamer Kiani says he is not only quitting PTI but politics as well; former minister is expected to announce his decision today, say sources
May 17, 2023
Former federal minister and senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Aamer Mehmood Kiani on Wednesday announced to part ways with Imran Khan after the party resorted to vandalism and damaged military installations following the former prime minister's arrest.
Kiani, who is also PTI's additional secretary, is expected to address a press conference later today, sources told Geo News.
"I am not only leaving PTI but also quitting politics," Kiani said, according to the TV channel.
The former health minister is the second PTI leader to jump ship after Mahmood Baqi Maulvi.
Kiani was elected from the NA-16 constituency on a PTI ticket in 2018 and was considered a close aide of the PTI chief. He was also the former president of PTI’s North Punjab chapter.
A day earlier, Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Mahmood Baqi Maulvi, who was elected on a PTI ticket from Karachi, announced that he was exiting the party following countrywide riots after party chairman Imran Khan's arrest.
Khan was arrested from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on May 9 by the rangers on the warrants of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Following his arrest, the party's supporters wreaked havoc across the country and attacked military installations.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Maulvi announced to quit PTI. "We can change political parties but we cannot change our army. I have never gone against the army nor will I do it in the future," he stressed.
He also shared that party workers had been discussing before May 9 that they would go to the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi in case Khan was arrested.
"I told them we should not fight against the army because there is no reason for it."
Maulvi had said neither did he know the people who participated in the violent protests, nor was he a part of them, adding that the actions of those involved in the riots were "indefensible".
"It is not permissible to fight against the army anywhere," he added.
The government has decided to not spare anyone involved in vandalism and vowed to bring all those responsible to justice.
On Monday, the military's top brass vowed to try protesters and their abettors under relevant laws, including the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act, following the attacks on military installations on May 9, which the army dubbed as "Black Day".
