Imran Khan and his party, PTI, faced a substantial blow as one of their prominent leaders, Ali Nawaz Awan, made a public appearance to announce his affiliation with the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) on Sunday, as reported by media outlets.

Ali Nawaz Awan, known for staunchly defending PTI in TV talk shows, conducted a meeting with IPP chief Jahangir Tareen and President Aleem Khan, as per Geo News reports.

The IPP, in an official statement on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), deemed Awan’s decision to join their ranks a ‘big success’ for the newly-formed political party.

Adding to the setback, another PTI leader and former provincial minister, Sardar Asif Nakai, also declared his allegiance to the IPP during a meeting with Jahangir Tareen and Aleem Khan.

This move follows a trend of defections from PTI to the IPP, with several notable leaders, including Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, Firdous Ashiq Awan, Murad Raas, and Ghulam Sarwar Khan, among others, having joined the IPP in the past five months since its launch.

The political landscape witnesses a notable shift as the IPP gains momentum with key figures defecting from the ruling party, posing challenges for Imran Khan’s political stronghold.