Coordinator to Prime Minister of Commerce and Industries Rana Ihsan Afzal Khan has claimed that PML-N is likely to clean sweep the upcoming general elections in Punjab after PTI lost the support of its vote bank after the May 9 riots.

“The PTI was the biggest rival of the PML-N, however, after the May 9 riots; it has lost its popularity in the masses. I do not think Tareen’s party poses a significant challenge to the PML-N,” he said.

Khan was speaking with Shaukat Paracha while appearing in Aaj TV programme Faisla Aap Ka.

At the outset of the show, the launch of the Jahangir Khan Tareen became the centre of discussion and its future role in the country’s political atmosphere.

For Khan, the new party’s popularity will be gauged in the upcoming elections. “It will be their first election and a test case.”

PPP’s Sardar Nadir Gabol believed that the newly launched party will not be able to dent PPP’s vote bank as its leaders cannot even win a UC chairman election.

“Most of the leaders of this new party do not have any political worth. The emergence of this party is not likely to dent PPP’s politics in Sindh or Karachi,” he added.

Journalist Mona Alam said that Tareen started his press conference by demanding to bring to justice all the alleged perpetrators of the May 9 riots.

“It seems he believed it is important for his party’s future to give such a statement. It was surprising to see that he was flanked by all the former PTI leaders who were at the forefront of the protests on May 9,” she added.

Tareen formally launched the ‘Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party’ on Thursday. Speaking at a press conference in Lahore flanked by former PTI leaders Aleem Khan and Imran Ismail, Khan said that after consultation with like-minded politicians, they decided to launch their own party to put Pakistan on the path of development.

During the presser, the new party leaders condemned the riots and violent protests on May 9 and urged the authorities to bring to justice all the people involved in the riots.