Islamabad, June 23 (TNS): Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lost another huge wicket as its senior leader and Senator Dr Babar Awan formally joined the camp of Imran Khan on Friday.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has become center of attraction for PPP leaders as many heavy weights have abandoned parent party to join PTI in recent weeks.
Babar Awan announced the development at a ceremony held at Imran Khan’s Bani Gala residence.
“Time has arrived to join a real opposition party,” Awan said while making the formal announcement of leaving the Bhutto’s party after 21 years of association.
The former federal law minister also announced to step down as senator.
Welcoming the senior politician, the PTI chairman said Dr Babar’s sons had already joined his party.
“People are not only joining PTI from one political party but from other parties in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa even without making any demand,” Imran said.
Initially a student activist with Islami Jamiat Talba and Pakistan Muslim League, Babar Awan came into the limelight soon after the dismissal of Benazir Bhutto’s second government in the mid-1990s.
He had joined the PPP in 1996. After remaining unsuccessful for two consecutive terms, Awan was elected unopposed as the member of Senate in March 2006.
Awan had assumed his post as a federal law minister in November 2008 from which he resigned in April 2011 in order to appear before the court in Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto reference case.
The PPP is rapidly loosing its members to the PTI, as former PPP leaders Firdous Ashiq Awan, Noor Alam Khan and Nazar Gondal also recently joined the party.
Noor Alam Khan, who is a close aide of Asif Zardari, and former federal minister Firdous Ashiq Awan joined PTI on May 23rd and 30 respectively.
Later, Nazar Gondal, who formerly served as a Federal Minister for Capital Administration & Development, joined the PTI on June 6.
The PTI Chairman has welcomed the leaders into the party fold.
