Minutes after the launch of a new political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday rejected the Istihkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) launched by former PTI leader Jahangir Tareen, saying that this was not the solution to the prevailing crises in the country. “Launching new parties full of people that are coming after forced divorces is not the solution to the problems Pakistan faces,” the former ruling party said on its official Twitter handle. The PTI reiterated the need for fresh, free and fair elections, saying that the people of Pakistan should be allowed to choose their representatives. Tareen – who is a former close aide of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and played a major in the formation of the PTI-led government in 2018 – officially launched his political party called the Istihkam-e-Pakistan Party. Tareen parted ways with Khan when a money laundering was registered against him during the PTI-led government. “We have gathered at one platform to make joint efforts to lift the country out of this quagmire,” said Tareen said, adding that the country needed a political leadership which could resolve all prevailing issues including social, economic and others. The announcement of the Istihkam-e-Pakistan Party comes after over 80 PTI leaders decided to cut ties with the Imran Khan-led party following the May 9 attacks that erupted after the party chairman’s arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case. The nearly three-day-long protests also claimed at least 8 lives and injured dozens of others with the incumbent coalition government suspending internet services and deploying army troops to maintain law and order situation. Following the unprecedented attacks on defence and public properties, the crackdown was launched on the PTI to detain the suspect involved in the vandalism with the country’s top civil-military leadership vowing to try rioters under relevant laws of the country including the Army Act. After that, several PTI leaders including close aides of Khan announced quitting the party over May 9 vandalism with some blaming Khan’s policies for the attacks on the military installations.