Former state information minister Farrukh Habib, who resurfaced after five months, has quit the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and joined the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP), which is led by his former party member Jehangir Tareen.

“Political leaders believe in non-violent struggle,” he said at a press conference in Lahore on Monday that was centered on the events of May 9. “The PTI chairman prepared supporters for May 9 events.”

Habib like many leaders of the party went missing after the government started cracking down on people who vandalised state buildings and military installations on May 9 when PTI chief Imran Khan was first arrested within the Islamabad High Court premises in a graft case.

At the presser, he was flanked by IPP leader Aun Chaudhry and Nauman Ahmad Langrial.

The IPP was launched by Tareen, once a close aide of the PTI chief, on June 8, with several other PTI defectors by his side. They also included those who were released after being arrested in investigations pertaining to the May 9 events.

Tareen is IPP’s patron-in-chief and Abdul Aleem Khan is the party’s president. Awn Chaudhry is the additional secretary general and spokesperson of the party as well as of the patron-in-chief.

At the outset of the media talk, Habib described the May 9 event as a “sad incident”.

He went on to add that the no-confidence vote, which led to the ouster of Imran Khan from the office of prime minister’s office in April 2022, was conducted in a constitutional manner. “The PTI chairman was ousted constitutionally.”

The former PTI leader called for self-accountability.

After the no-trust vote, he claimed that anarchy was adopted instead of political struggle. Habib alleged that Khan provoked supporters of PTI to adopt the path of violence.

Without naming the person, he claimed that PTI workers were incited against institutions. The former minister added that state properties were damaged due to violence.

At the end of his media talk, Habib announced that he has decided to join the IPP and called Tareen a “reformist”.

“If we can work day and night for the PTI, we can also work for the IPP. Ultimately we have to work for Pakistan,” Habib said.