Zahid Khan, the former Awami National Party (ANP) leader, joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Sunday.

“I have joined the PML-N at the invitation of Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif,” Khan said at the event.

A joining ceremony was held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’sLower Dir, where PML-N leader Amir Muqam welcomed Khan to the party.

Zahid Khan, who has served as a senator twice—from 1997 to 2003 and again from 2009 to 2015—has had a notable political career.

He held key roles on several Senate committees, including communications, information technology and telecommunication, and parliamentary affairs. Khan also presided over the Senate Committee on Water and Power.

In September of this year, Zahid left politics, citing changing political landscape that made it increasingly challenging for him to continue his political career. He expressed his worries about the “growing influence of money” in politics and reiterated that he had never pursued a political career for personal gain.

The former ANP leader expressed a “deepening sense” of exclusion from the priorities of the party leadership, prompting him to step away from daily political activities.

Muqam criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, claiming that the party had written letters to the International Monetary Fund to “harm” the economy. He also mentioned that the KP government has been discussing the purchase of Pakistan International Airlines while allegedly neglecting the rights of teachers.

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Muqam, the states and frontier regions minister, accused Imran Khan’s party of practising duplicity and hypocrisy in its politics.

The people of KP voted for the PTI to address the province’s issues, not to wage war against the state, he claimed.

The minister added that the people expect their elected representatives to focus on solving local problems rather than engaging in political confrontations.