Two more former lawmakers on Sunday announced their decision to dissociate from the PTI, saying they would no more be involved in any politics. One them is Chaudhry Raza Nasrullah Ghuman – who was a Punjab Assembly member from Faisalabad, as he told reporters at a press conference that there was an urgent need for a grand dialogue and no institution should interfere in others affairs. Announcing that he will stay away from the political arena some for time and focus on welfare activities after 21-year-long career in politics, he described the Nov 9 episode as a tragic event in the country’s history. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, he said he was heartbroken by incidents of arson and vandalism that took place in several cities of the country on May 9, and had, therefore, decided to take a break from politics. “I want to spend time with my family,” he said. Separately, Ayesha Iqbal – an MPA elected on one of the reserved seats for women – too condemned the Nov 9 violence and said she was leaving the PTI and politics forever. Ayesha explained that she hated violence-based politics and was ordinary party worker, adding that the party chairman wouldn’t have even any idea who she was. Describing Pakistan as the red line, Ayesha said she was known for her welfare work, including running a transgender school and planting 0.1 million saplings. The flurry of defections hitting the PTI has come after the arrest of thousands of party supporters, including top leaders, in the dramatic events that surrounded the arrest of Khan on corruption charges, which he has denied. The government has alleged that Khan’s supporters ran amok in various cities while he was in custody on May 9 and 10, damaging private and public properties, including military sites and monuments. Controversially, it has moved to try those accused of targeting military installations in military courts. The PTI has rejected allegations that its members were involved in vandalism. And while party leaders have insisted publicly that the decision to quit was taken entirely on their own, without any external pressure, the circumstances of their announcements have raised questions about whether these were an act of preservation or the result of coercion. Khan himself has argued that PTI leaders were being pressured into leaving the party, without saying who was behind it.