- Imran illegally confined in prison: Ali Zaidi.
- ‘Corrupt, earth grabbers gave power.’
- Fawad, Ismail meets Qureshi at the hospital.
Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Haider Zaidi has ruled out any plans to return to politics, saying “there is no politics left in a country where corrupt, land grabbers and extortionists are empowered through fake elections”.
Zaidi, a close aide of the PTI’s founding chairman, had stepped away from the party and politics amid the crackdown following the May 9, 2023, riots in which military installations were attacked following the arrest of Imran Khan, the former prime minister.
In a post on X, the former PTI lawmaker dismissed speculation about his political relaunch, saying, “Let me be clear: I don’t plan to enter politics anytime soon.”
Explaining his reasons, Zaidi wrote: “Firstly, my financial circumstances and my personal family obligations do not allow it.”
He went on to criticize the country’s political and judicial systems and expressed disillusionment with the current situation. “There is no politics in a country where the corrupt, the land grabbers, the extortionists, even those with blood on their hands are empowered through a sham election, protected by a compromised judiciary which even today fails to deliver justice,” he said.
“Imran Khan was and remains the only leader who really tried to change this system. Unfortunately, he is illegally locked up in prison. And we all know why.”
Concluding his statement, the former Maritime Affairs Minister said: “When justice dies, politics loses its purpose.”
Zaidi’s statement comes hours after former PTI leaders Imran Ismail and Fawad Chaudhry met Shah Mahmood Qureshi at PKLI in Lahore.
Ismail has seized on the current PTI leadership and accused it of neglecting Imran Khan, who has been behind bars since 2023.
Ismail while speaking in an interview on Pakinomist news program ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ said his visit was purely out of respect and affection for Qureshi. “I went to meet him because I have great respect for him. I also met other jailed PTI leaders,” he added.
Lashing out at the incumbent PTI leadership, the former Sindh governor said they “don’t seem to care that the founder of the party is in jail.” Ismail further added that Qureshi also agreed that Pakistan’s political temperature needs to be brought down.
He also expressed confidence in a few senior leaders, saying, “Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry and Omar Sarfraz Cheema are capable of guiding the party in the right direction.”
