Exclusive: Islami Tehreek set to strike alliance with PTI

This will be the third small religious party to join Imran Khan in the last couple of weeks.

By Naveed Naqvi

LAHORE: Islami Tehreek Pakistan (ITP) is all set to become the third religious group to join ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in a political alliance, Independent Pakistan can report.

Coming in the wake of reports of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam -Sherani (JUI-S) and Majlis Wehdatul Muslimeen (MWM) joining PTI’s political coalition, the news confirms the trend of small, religiously motivated groups flocking to Khan’s fold.

Sources close to the developments say the top leadership of ITP and PTI will converge in a meeting at Lahore Wednesday to exchange views on a joint strategy and political alliance.

After the meeting, the leaders of the two parties will address a joint press conference at Gulberg Lahore.

The former prime minister rose to power at the head of a coalition including half a dozen small parties in addition to his own PTI, which was unable to form a government on its own.

His junior partners in government included the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P); Balochistan National Party (BNP); Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q); the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA); Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), and Sheikh Rasheed’s Awami Muslim League (AML).

Khan’s government fell after his partners abandoned him, joining the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the coalition that orchestrated his outer from power this April.

At the parleys with ITP, PTI will be represented by Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Dr Noor ul Haq Qadri, Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed, Dr Yasmeen Rashid, Mian Hammad Azhar, Sheikh Imtiaz Ahmad, and Allama Asghar Arif Chisti.

Those due to attend for ITP include Central General Secretary Allama Dr Shabbir Meesami, Central Vice President Allama Arif Wahidi, Allama Syed Sibtain Haider Sabzwari, Allama Kazim Raza Naqvi, Qasim Ali Qasmi, Malik Shaukat Ali Awan, Syed Jaffar Ali Shah, and Chaudhry Saghir Virk.

Founded by Allama Sajid Naqvi of Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Fiqa-e-Jaffaria (TNFJ) in 2015, ITP is largely active in Gilgit-Baltistan. It earlier partnered with PTI for the 2020 Gilgit-Baltistan assembly elections, but failed to win a seat.