Daily Times

A tweet from Shireen Mazari has gone viral on social media. I will repeat it for those who have not seen it yet. The title reads “Setting the record straight on Founding Members of PTI:” The message states, “The Founding members of PTI were the following: Imran Khan, Naeemul Haque, late Ahsan Rasheed, Hafeez Khan (now in Canada), Mowahid Hussain Syed (now in US), Mahmood Awan (now in US), Nausherwan Burki (now in US). These seven members founded the Party in April 1996. No one else is a “founding member” while many may be very old members.” This tweet dates back to September 5, 2016, when I recollect Shireen headed the information portfolio of PTI. However, this tweet has taken a new life due to PTI’s recent intra-party election. It was triggered by an appearance of Akbar Babar seeking PTI’s Chairmanship.

Akbar Babar was an early PTI entrant hailing from Baluchistan but living permanently in Islamabad. He had no roots in his home province and was running an NGO. I met him soon after his joining. In those days, Imran Khan attracted many NGO types, most of whom had no clue about politics; those details were not relevant at this time. Akbar was a brainy guy and quite articulate in his expression. However, very early on, I picked up some serious flaws in his persona. He was insecure, a loner, wickedly ambitious and well-versed in palace intrigues based on his grounding in an NGO environment. I pointed them out to IK, who being his usual self, laughed it off.

I moved my family to Canada in 1998. PTI’s intra-party elections were held in 1999 where I was elected Central Vice President. Since I was leaving Pakistan, I wanted to pass on the baton to a competent loyalist. Hamid Khan, Saeedullah Niazi, Najeeb Haroon, myself and other party seniors joined hands to elect Dr Arif Alvi as PTI’s General Secretary.

With PML(N)’s juggernaut media machine backing him, he kept repeating this lie till it gained traction.

In 2002, I was invited to join PTI’s election team and given the responsibility of the election cell. Upon my return, I realized that Akbar Babar had entrenched himself deeply in the party and formed a close bond with Saif Ullah Niazi, IK’s “Man Friday” then. I sensed his pushback at my reappearance, despite the fact I had made it abundantly clear that I was around only for the duration of the elections. PTI was able to win only Imran Khan’s Mianwali seat in this election.

During the first decade of the 21st century, PTI’s footprint had shrunk; including their donation base. It was kept afloat mainly through fundraisers by Overseas Pakistanis. A stage came when they could not afford rent for the central secretariat, and it was moved to IK’s apartment in Parliamentary Lodges. Akbar Babar was part of the team that stuck with IK during this period. I continued to meet IK during my annual visits and always found him upbeat despite all the challenges. The man’s determination was always a source of motivation. The group around him was a cosy lot, firmly embedded and entirely controlled by the party structure.

Due to an unrelenting struggle by IK, the tide began to move in favour of PTI by 2010. There were new entrants and the party’s base grew. 2011 was the turning point for the party. The little umbrella under which the cosy group hogged all the limelight suddenly turned into a huge tent. Insecure members of the core group suddenly felt sidelined and threatened. That is when Akbar’s venomous insecurities took over.

An elaborate ruse was planned. Akbar, who had access to party records, began the process of stealing them. Once in possession, he sent messages to IK to either resurrect his controlling position or suffer consequences. I was privy to one such message. By now, everyone is aware that IK does not take kindly to blackmail. Akbar Babar was shown the finger. Thus, he embarked on his unrelenting battle to bring IK down through the now infamous “foreign funding case.” It was packed with lies and distortions. PTI diehards withstood this onslaught bravely; Sardar Azhar Tariq Khan’s efforts need a special mention here.

Akbar had no credentials, so he laid claim to being a “founder member.” With PML(N)’s juggernaut media machine backing him, he kept repeating this lie till it gained traction. It irritated me too, but I let it slide; hoping the party would set the record straight. It is a huge lie like everything surrounding this fake imposter.

What triggered this article is the audaciousness of this crook’s attempt to hijack PTI pretending to be a “founder member.” He has no locus standi. Akbar was ousted from the party for his treacherous actions. He is a traitor to all PTI members and supporters. This backstabber is being hyped by PML(N) and their backers.

However, the verdict of the masses shall prevail. We see them openly defy this massive fraud being perpetuated. Just watch the clips of the latest turnout in Nowshera. Floodwaters find a way.

The writer is the director of CERF, a non-profit, charitable organisation in Canada.The weiter can be followed on twitter at following id: @HafeezKhanPU