ISLAMABAD: Ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Abdul Aleem Khan, until recently considered a close aide of Prime Minister Imran Khan, has arrived in London to meet estranged party leader Jahangir Khan Tareen, local media reported on Thursday, after opposition parties moved a no-confidence motion seeking Khan's ouster.
Earlier this week, Aleem announced he would be joining a group of lawmakers led by Tareen who is currently in London, reportedly seeking medical treatment. Aleem's announcement comes as a major blow to PM Khan and his government as it grapples with a chronic economic crisis and rising inflation amid reports of strained ties with the all-powerful military.
“We, the PTI people, are indebted to Jahangir Tareen for his struggle and devotion to the party,” he said, lamenting that people who had struggled for the rise of PM Khan and his idea of a “new Pakistan” had been abandoned.
On Tuesday, Tareen’s medical secretary said he was fit for travel and would soon return to Pakistan.
The opposition needs a simple majority of 172 and says it requires just 11 more votes to force Khan out. The speaker of the lower house must now convene parliament within two weeks, though it could take weeks before a vote takes place.
Opposition lawmakers and political analysts say Khan, a former cricket star, has lost the backing of the powerful military whose support they say secured the path to power for his political party in 2018.
Khan denies the military helped him into office. The military says it does not interfere in politics.
