After quitting PTI, Fauzia Kasuri joins PSP

KARACHI: Fauzia Kasuri, who announced to resign from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, on Thursday joined the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP).

Addressing a press conference, PSP chief Mustafa Kamal welcomed Kasuri and said that her joining their party is an endorsement of their ideology. “Fauzia Kasuri joined us is the endorsement of our ideology, we are grateful to her,” he said.

He said that PSP has turned into a national party within a short span of two years to which the masses and downtrodden look towards, and has four MNAs, 18 MPAs and the deputy mayor in Karachi despite not contest any elections.

He said that different allegations were raised against them, while the deceit of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) founder had been exposed, while Farooq Sattar was also unceremoniously ousted from the party.

Raising apprehensions about the attempts to create discord in the city, he asked whether MQM was the genuine representative of the Muhajir community as it failed to address their problems in the last five years.

He said the MQM and the Pakistan People’s Party were indulging in ethnic politics just before the general elections to gain public sympathy. “Both are complementing each other. Chief minister Sindh is using the Sindhi card, while MQM is using the Muhajir card,” he said.

Ms. Kasuri said that it was a difficult decision for her to leave the PTI, as she genuinely cared about the party workers, and had dedicated over 22 years to the party. However, she denied indulging in politics of power, and said it was Imran Khan who claimed that she wanted to get in parliament at any cost.

She said that she wanted to contest the elections on a general seat, while reserved seats for women should be given to those do not have the resources to contest elections.

She said Karachi had representation from across the country, and hoped that city would prosper and have peace. She also hoped that PSP would grow into a forced to be reckoned with, and have representation in all provinces.

Fauzia Kasuri announces to quit PTI

Fauzia Kasuri on Wednesday announced her decision to quit the  PTI saying she had sent her resignation to chairman Imran Khan and other PTI members.

“It should come as no surprise to you that I have decided to leave the PTI,” read the letter thanking Imran Khan for providing her a platform to develop her political career in line with the principles of justice, merit and accountability that were previously ingrained in the party’s culture.

However, she said that since 2013, she became increasingly disenchanted by the direction the party had taken, and no longer saw it as representative of aspirations of millions of under-served citizens seeking transformative change in Pakistan.

“Furthermore, you opted to hand the reins of the party to those electables we fought against since our inception, at the cost of workers who in some cases laid down their lives for the cause,” the letter read.

“Sadly, this was the final nail in the coffin,” she said adding that she could not longer defend the party’s action. Kasuri further stated that this letter should be accepted as her formal resignation from the party.

Wishing luck to Imran Khan, she expressed hope that if the PTI chief was granted the opportunity to form a national government, he would strive to bring about the change he once promised.