Zahid Khan, a former leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), officially joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Sunday. He made the announcement during a ceremony in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lower Dir, where he was welcomed into the party by PML-N leader Amir Muqam.
Khan explained that he had joined PML-N at the invitation of Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He said he was drawn to the party after reflecting on the changing political environment in the country.
Zahid Khan has had a long political career. He served as a senator twice, from 1997 to 2003 and again from 2009 to 2015. Throughout his time in office, he held important positions on several key Senate committees, including those on communications, information technology, telecommunications, and parliamentary affairs. Khan also chaired the Senate Committee on Water and Power.
In September of this year, Zahid Khan left politics, citing the challenges posed by the shifting political landscape. He expressed concerns about the growing influence of money in politics, and emphasized that he had never been motivated by personal gain in his political career. Khan also mentioned feeling increasingly excluded from the priorities of his former party, which led him to step away from active political life.
At the ceremony, PML-N leader Amir Muqam also spoke out against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), accusing the party of writing letters to the International Monetary Fund in a bid to harm the economy. Muqam also criticized the PTI-led provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for allegedly focusing on the purchase of Pakistan International Airlines, while ignoring the rights of teachers and other important local issues.
Muqam, who is also the Minister for States and Frontier Regions, accused PTI of hypocrisy in its political tactics. He said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had voted for PTI to solve local issues, not to wage political battles against the state. He further added that citizens expected their representatives to focus on real problems, rather than getting caught up in political confrontations.
