Talha Mahmood joins PPP, Kundi sees forward bloc in SIC’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter

ISLAMABAD – JUI-F Senator Talha Mahmood announced on Tuesday his decision to switch allegiances and join the PPP, claiming his desire to serve at the national level as the primary basis for the change.

Talha told a press conference that everyone was aware of Pakistan’s current economic crises and political turmoil, as well as the problems it faces.

“Each of us has to play a role in rescuing Pakistan from the crisis,” remarked the former JUI-F leader, accompanied by Nayyar Hussain Bokhari and Faisal Karim Kundi of the PPP.

Talha stated that he originally acquired a JUI-F ticket for a National Assembly seat in 2006 and has not joined any party since. He told reporters that despite working in various roles, including as a federal minister, he had not taken a salary or enjoyed any perks or privileges in the last 18 years.

He met President Asif Ali Zardari a week ago, and he was invited to join the PPP, which was the finest party and alternative for working at the national level.

Speaking at the event, Bokhari welcomed Talha into the party’s ranks and stated that he has always played a beneficial role in parliament.

Similarly, Kundi, the PPP communication secretary, stated that they would work hard to strengthen the PPP in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He further claimed that the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) was violating the constitution, referring to the provincial government’s refusal to follow Governor Ghulam Ali’s directives to convene the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly session.

The opposition parties have petitioned the Peshawar High Court, claiming that the SIC administration in the province wishes to prevent MPAs elected on reserved seats from taking oath, preventing them from voting in the upcoming Senate elections on April 2.

He encouraged Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Speaker Babar Khan Swati to exercise his constitutional authority and said that PTI members, who are now using SIC as an umbrella after being elected as independents in the February 8 elections, were dissatisfied with the situation.

In this regard, he projected the establishment of a front bloc within the SIC’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter and stated that the PPP supported Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir and the military in their struggle against terrorism.