The country is going through a critical period, says Tareen.

Tariq Butt, Correspondent 

Jahangir Tareen, once a close aide of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday launched a new party, the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP).

The former PTI leader made the announcement during a press conference in Lahore with several other PTI defectors — including those who left in the aftermath of the May 9 incidents — by his side.

He was flanked by another one-time confidant of the PTI chief, Aleem Khan, and several others, including Imran Ismail and Amir Mehmood Kayani, who recently severed ties with PTI amid a state crackdown on it.

Tareen said on the occasion that the country was going through “delicate times.”

Elaborating on the need to form a new party, he said he had joined politics for just one purpose — to contribute to the country’s progress.

“During my long journey in politics, I got the opportunity to meet and work with several people. I learned a lot from this experience,” he said, adding that he was never a “traditional politician”.

He said he had joined the PTI as he was certain that through the party’s platform, “we will be able to implement all those reforms that Pakistan needed and still need.”

“And for this reason, we worked day and night to make the PTI a full-fledged political force. People you see sitting here today, all of them were a part of this struggle,” he added. “We infused the party with newfound passion and enthusiasm after the 2013 elections.”

Tareen said “several facts” would surface in the coming days which would show “to what extent we went to make the party stable.”

“We ensured that PTI turns into such a political force that it does not just win whenever elections are held but it also is in a position to initiate reforms in the country,” he said.

Tareen said reforms were the PTI’s basic manifesto, “due to which we all had come together.”

But, he added, “unfortunately … the matters did not go the way we expected and people were disheartened.”

He said the PTI’s manifesto was to improve the economy and relations with other countries and most importantly, ensure accountability.

“These were the slogans on the basis of which the party was formed and people voted for the PTI,” he said, regretting that these objectives could not be achieved.

Tareen said the events of May 9 had changed the politics of Pakistan.

“I am saying this from the bottom of my heart that if the miscreants and planners of May 9 are not brought to justice, attacks on houses of political rivals will also be considered acceptable. “And we will never let this happen,” he vowed.

Tareen said May 9 vandalism was not just about a “mob attacking public properties. “This was setting an example of a mob attacking anyone’s house and harassing our families.”

No society could allow this, he asserted. “We cannot let this situation escalate further.”

He added, “So we have gathered here today. We will collectively try to steer Pakistan … out of the quagmire. Our country needs this today. We will together heal the wounds inflicted on Pakistan.”

Tareen said Pakistan presently needed a leadership that would end political and social divisions and promote unity and tolerance.

This country “needs a leadership that can give this nation a narrative of hope.”

“At this time, what our nation needs the most is the hope that its situation will improve and it will reach a new height,” he said, adding that this was the reason the foundation of the new IPP party was being laid down today. “Our objective is very clear.”

He said all those present alongside him wanted Pakistan to progress.

“We all realise, and agree, that our politics need a new direction. We also realise that our democratic system can only strengthen if the government and opposition both understand and abide by their constitutional responsibilities.”