Imran Khan's loyalists triumph, betrayers bite the dust
The loyalists of jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan – some of them political nobodies – have defied all odds and emerged triumphant, beating political juggernauts in the high-stakes general elections held on 8 February, reports The Express Tribune.
While Khan's loyalists emerged victorious, those who betrayed him received humiliating drubbing despite having the support of the powerful circles in the country, the report said.
The PTI was under the state's wrath after the 9 May 2023 attacks on national security installations nationwide. Every effort was made to literally erase Khan's party from the political arena by jailing its top leadership and workers, forcing them to change loyalties or give up politics, and imposing a media blackout on their activities.
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It became extremely difficult to stay loyal to Imran Khan.
Prominent among those who ditched Khan was Pervez Khattak, former chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, who jumped ship to form a splinter group by the name of PTI-Parliamentarians.
Sugar cartel Jahangir Tareen – who was once in the inner sanctum of Imran Khan – also cobbled up a party named Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), apparently to woo PTI deserters.
However, both the parties received humiliating defeats in the polls.
