SAHIWAL: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf district president Ahmed Raza Maneka on Saturday quit the party due to “multiple reasons”.

A younger brother of Khawar Farid Maneka (who is former husband of Bushra), Ahmed Raza turned up at his Pir Ghani village after two months and announced that he, along with six union council chairmen who won the local elections on the PTI ticket, had quit the party. He remained associated with the party for five years.

Speaking to Dawn over phone, the Maneka family scion hit out at Imran Khan and other PTI leaders for allegedly ignoring the workers at the district and union council levels. He said Pakpattan was one of the districts of Punjab from where PTI ticket-holders succeeded in becoming chairmen and vice chairmen of Municipal Corporation and District Council because of his untiring efforts.

“PTI nominee Aslam Sukhera became district council chairman because of my efforts,” he said while complaining about indifference of the PTI chairman and other leaders.

Imran Khan would stay with Khawar Maneka since he started visiting Pakpattan in 2015. There has been a complaint that he did not bother to listen to the workers.

It is believed some members in the Maneka family were not in favour of Bushra’s marriage with Imran Khan and Ahmed Raza has now distanced himself from the PTI.

A political worker claims there is a rift in the PTI group led by Ahmed Raza Maneka.

Earlier, he was considered a strong contender for PTI ticket from NA-165, Pakpattan, for the 2018 general election. He lost this seat in 2013 (PTI platform) and in 2008 (PML-Q ticket). In the 2002 election he emerged successful.

UC Chairmen Zahid Wattoo, Syed Noor Shah Bokhari, Israr Zafar Bodela, Mazhar Bhatti and Tariq Razzaq Bhatti are among those who quit the party.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2018