PTI Leader Usman Dar Resurfaces, Announces Quitting PTI and Politics

PTI Leader Claims May 9 Attacks Aimed at “Removing Army Chief”

PTI Dismisses Assertions Made by “Missing Party Leader”

Lahore: PTI leader Usman Dar, who had allegedly gone missing according to his party, resurfaced on Wednesday and opined that the May 9 attacks were aimed at “removing the army chief”. Dar also announced quitting the PTI and politics, noting that he initiated his political journey with the Imran-led party and was now concluding it at the very same starting point.

Last month, the PTI had claimed that Dar was “abducted” in Karachi’s Malir Cantt by “unknown persons” and taken to an undisclosed location. Dar’s mother had also released a video message claiming her son had been abducted and that the ‘abductors’ were denying the whereabouts of her son. Subsequently, the brother-in-law of the PTI leader, through his lawyer, had filed a petition before the Sindh High Court and contended that Dar was taken away by some persons in plain clothes and traveling in vehicles having no registration numbers on Sept 9.

In a surprising turn of events today, Dar appeared in Dunya TV program ‘On the Front’ today, almost 20 days after reports of his abduction had surfaced. During the interview, Dar claimed that after the PTI was ousted through a no-confidence vote last year, “two mindsets” emerged in the party. Dar also stated that talks about the possibility of attacking state institutions in the event of Imran’s arrest were discussed in PTI meetings, with Imran endorsing this stance.

Reflecting on his decision-making process, Dar revealed that he had taken five months to evaluate the situation before deciding to leave the PTI. He expressed his belief that the PPP, PML-N, and PTI should come together to engage in discussions about national issues and collectively work towards resolving them.

PTI Dismisses Dar’s Assertions as “Old Wine in a New Bottle”

In response to Dar’s statement, the PTI dismissed the assertions made by their “missing party leader” as “old wine in a new bottle.” The party called for a judicial commission to thoroughly investigate the events of May 9 and voiced concerns that these “tactics” could potentially be employed against other party leaders as well.

PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub raised questions on the conditions the interview was given under and termed it a “staged encounter.” PTI leader Hammad Azhar also expressed concern, stating that Dar’s interview has raised concerns among the families of missing party workers.