Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf members threatened to quit party, claims Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said that the members of his party are being forced to quit the party by threatening harm to the women in their families.

Sharing a screenshot of a text message claiming to be a former PTI member, Imran Khan took to Twitter and said, "This is the sort of pressure behind the "forced divorces".

"Chairman sb, I bore a lot of pressure [To quit PTI], but it has now become unbearable. [The threats] have now gone beyond business to the women of my house. Now there is no other way besides doing a press conference [and announcing dissociation from PTI]," Imran Khan posted a screenshot of a text message written in Urdu along with a translation for the same.

"I had never thought this would happen. I only have 2 options now: either commit suicide or hold a press conference Chairman, I have been with you since the beginning when you first contested the election from Mianwali," the alleged message read further.

With the exodus of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and Jahangir Tareen -- the estranged party leader -- getting active post-May 9 riotings, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah predicted that three splinter groups will emerge in the future and that will no longer be a threat to Pakistan Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan- based The News International reported.

"On Jahangir Tareen's issue N-League should remain calm as our vote bank is not going anywhere," Sanaullah said.

In Punjab, it is the PML-N against PTI but after the May 9 rioting, the situation had changed, he added.

"The PTI will get divided into two or three parts. One part will go into the PPP, second to Jahangir Tareen and third will remain in the PTI," predicted the interior minister.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan's arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case on May 9 and subsequent violent protests, during which unruly supporters and workers stormed and torched state installations almost across the country, unleashed a mass exodus of leaders from the former ruling party.

The nearly three-day-long protests also claimed at least 8 lives and injured dozens of others with the incumbent coalition government suspending internet services and deploying army troops to maintain law and order situation.

Following the unprecedented attacks on defence and public properties, the crackdown was launched on the PTI to detain the suspect involved in the vandalism with the country's top civil-military leadership vowing to try rioters under relevant laws of the country including the Army Act.

Since then, several PTI leaders including close aides of Khan have announced quitting the party over May 9 vandalism with some blaming Khan's policies for the attacks on the military installations. So far, more than 80 PTI leaders from across the nation have left the party. Geo News reported.