Aitzaz dispels impression of joining PTI

LAHORE: Founding member of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and prominent lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan on Thursday dispelled the notion that he was leaving his party to join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

In a press conference at his residence here, he cleared that Imran Khan was his friend but he would not leave the PPP.

He said that he had been neighbour of Imran Khan for the last 50 years and found him (Imran) as a good person, but it did not mean that he would join the PTI.

He said that he believed in politeness with political rival and did not like foul language over political differences.

He said that during the lawyers’ movement, he was asked to leave the PPP, on which he refused and told the lawyers that he could leave leadership of the movement but not the party. Aitzaz Ahsan said relations within political parties should remain polite. He said that the PPP was like his family, adding, “I am not leaving the Pakistan Peoples Party.”

He said that the PPP was the only national democratic political party which gave the right to express difference of opinion even in its meetings.

Aitzaz Ahsen, who had won two seats in the 2002 general elections, one from Lahore and other from Bahawalpur, stated that Gen Pervez Musharraf had even offered him the slot of prime minister for quitting PPP but he remained part of his party. Now, he said rumours were being spread that Aitzaz could be PTI’s nominee for the caretaker PM which were not true. To a question, Aitzaz said he firmly believed that institutions must remain in their constitutional ambit.

He said his differences with Nawaz Sharif were not over any trivial issue but over principles.