Leading PTI defectors assembled to meet PTI’s Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the Adiala prison on Wednesday, a day after Imran Khan said there were moves to form a “king’s party.”

Fawad Chaudhry said that the leaders who had resigned from the party had initiated contact so the opposition would not be left empty.

Speaking outside Adiala Jail flanked by Mahmood Moulvi and Imran Ismail, Fawad said they had met Shah Mahmood Qureshi inside the prison as well as multiple other leaders.

“A country of 250 million people cannot be left to Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari,” he said. “Pakistan needs to go towards stable solutions.”

He also said that contact had been made with Asad Umar, Pervez Khattak and others. He also claimed that contact had been made with Atif Khan, Farrukh Habib, Hammad Azhar, Ali Zaidi, Asad Qaiser and others.

Fawad said that many people who had no direct role in the events of May 9 were still behind bars and it was the collective responsibility of all leaders to get them released.

He also said that the Pakistan Democratic Movement government was behind the criss in the country and had no ability to steer them out of it.

“There is political, constitutional and economic uncertainty in the country,” he said, “and the PDM government is directly responsible.”

Fawad also said that the events of May 9 had been condemned by everyone who had left the party and the ‘law would take its course’ in the investigations.

PTI leaders have been resigning from the party in recent weeks amid a government crackdown on party workers after May 9. Multiple PTI workers have been sent to military courts, while over 8,000 (PTI says over 10,000) workers are still in jail.

PTI leaders issue denials

Former speaker Asad Qaiser immediately clarified that he did not have any contact with Fawad Chaudhry in a tweet. Fawad had mentioned him as one of the leaders who were ‘in talks’ to find a way out of the current crisis.

Qaiser has not been active in recent days and rumours had been floating that he was teaming up with Pervez Khattak to form their own faction in KP.

PTI leader Hammad Azhar, who was also mentioned by Fawad, confirmed that he was still a part of the PTI and said that if anyone wanted to propose a solution the final decision would be taken by Imran Khan.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s son, Zain, also wrote on Twitter that the wrong impression about his meeting with Fawad Chaudhry was being created on the media.

“PTI is an ideology and and we stand with it,” he said.