Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stalwart Farrukh Habib is among the fresh lot of people who have parted ways with Imran Khan. He has joined Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP).
Farrukh Habib announced his disassociation with PTI in a presser held at IPP headquarters in Lahore.
He was among the founding members of PTI's student wing - Insaf Student Federation (ISF) - and also served as the minister of state for information in Imran Khan's cabinet.
The former minister said that he took the decisions after consultation with friends and spiritual leaders.
Farrukh Habib condemned May 9 incidents and criticized Imran Khan for indoctrinating people against their own army.
He said that the PTI chairman chose the path of bullet instead of ballot.
Farrukh Habib revealed that he had been away from his home for the past five months, and even in the recent weeks, he had limited contact with his family.
The former state information minister questioned whether his political involvement was worth it, given the situation since May 9.
He highlighted that after the no-confidence motion, Imran refused to let his party members work peacefully.
Farrukh Habib said that Instead of following the country's laws, Imran leaned towards violence which deeply troubled him.
He aimed to build a Pakistan following the vision of Quaid-e-Azam, but he felt the party was moving in the wrong direction.
Farrukh Habib mentioned that Imran used people as human shields to evade arrest on multiple occasions which he said was concerning.
Shifting focus to the cipher issue, the ex-minister recalled a joint statement from the National Security Committee (NSC) during PTI government which clarified there was no conspiracy but an intervention.
He also criticized Imran for using this issue for political gain without considering the national interest. Notably, Imran Khan remains in detention due to the cipher case, where he is on trial for disclosing details of a secret document.
Farrukh Habib also touched on the Toshakhana case. He said that the PTI leaders had to defend the party chairman despite their knowledge of his involvement.
The ex-PTI leader also questioned Imran's moral stance, asking how he could accept watches from Toshakhana.
He suggested that Imran should have openly acknowledged acquiring watches from the state gift depository when the controversy unearthed.
