PTI leader Khusro Bakhtiar has quit his party. Like his other party members, who have parted ways in the recent past, Bakhtiar’s decision was taken against the backdrop of the May 9 events.

“One year ago, I had told the top leadership of the party stated that the PTI’s new political plan to have a confrontation with the state institutions will prove to be dangerous for the party,” he said in a video message that surfaced on Twitter. “That’s why I decided to part ways with the PTI and important positions, which core committee’s membership and presidency of South Punjab.”

“But now the deplorable events of May 9 have forced me to part ways with the political philosophy of PTI and I cannot follow this philosophy anymore. On this occasion, I also want to say that my 25 years of political experience, which is based on serving at local, provincial, and national levels, and on this basis I have a belief that now Pakistan’s future does not lie in the politics of division, separation, and confrontation,” said Bakhtiar.

On Friday, Murad Raas and Abrarul Haq quit the party over the violent protests of May 9. Both of the leaders’ eyes welled up with tears as they announced their decision.

Most of PTI chief Imran Khan’s top aides were arrested shortly after protesters stormed and set ablaze a number of military installations across the country. Many have been released and shortly after announced their resignations from Khan’s party. Dozens of other mid-tier leaders have also left.

Khan claimed that they were being made to resign under duress in a bid to weaken him and dismantle his party. He distanced his party from the attacks on military installations during the unrest that followed his arrest and reiterated a call for an investigation to determine who was involved.

PTI members have said they were leaving of their own free will. Many of them cited concerns for their family and health.

The former premier, however, struck a defiant tone, warning that his party’s popularity was only rising because of the crackdown and would still win an election whenever it was held. He said he only wanted to talk to take the country out of the current crisis.

A national election is scheduled to be held in November, and polls show Khan remains the country’s most popular leader.