This is the year 1996. When Imran Khan formed a political party called Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), people from all over the country started joining it who were previously indifferent to politics or had political interests but joined already existing parties. I didn’t want to be.
One of the reasons for this was that Imran Khan based his politics on the agenda against the old political parties and big politicians, and the second reason was that the people who were already in the political field at that time joined the fledgling party of a cricketer. I couldn’t take the risk.
Therefore, social workers, journalists, and lawyers from all over the country started looking for a bright future for themselves in the new Jamaat, and these people from every district became a part of Tehreek-e-Insaaf.
Imran Khan’s central team also had people from similar fields. Then, when the party failed in the first elections,
Then, in the coming years, faced with continuous failures, these people from the social sector started leaving the party and joining other parties or giving up politics. Thus, the shape of PTI kept changing.
Then there was a time when, after the 2011 Minar Pakistan Jalsa, many well-known Grami electables also became part of Tehreek-e-Insaaf.
But after May 9, 2023, the face of Tehreek-e-Insaaf changed as a result of the crackdown launched against it, and many of its first and second-rank leaders left the party. The situation reached such a point that it became difficult for him to contest the elections.
In such a situation, Imran Khan decided that he would give most of the tickets to lawyers for the 2024 elections, as lawyers are less likely to be arrested and have cases filed against them.
As a result of Imran Khan’s decision, the lawyers in PTI practically came forward and not only won the elections in large numbers but also emerged as the face of Tehreek-e-Insaf in the courts and media.
The current situation is that PTI has become the party with the most lawyer leaders among the existing political parties.
It is not that lawyers did not participate in politics in the past, but every political party naturally had senior lawyers with them as they needed their guidance in constitutional and legal matters.
In particular, lawyers like Aitzaz Ahsan, Waseem Sajjad, Babar Awan, and Farooq H. Naik were the faces of two major political parties, the Pakistan Muslim League and the Pakistan Peoples Party.
But the number of lawyers who have come out of the PTI platform in recent months suggests that there are more of them in this party than in any other sector.
They range from eminent lawyers to a union council-level leader.
Hamid Khan
Hamid Khan is one of the founding leaders of PTI. He has been a part of the party since day one, despite internal ups and downs and the changing nature of his relationship with Imran Khan, and he guides the party in constitutional and legal matters.
He is also the leader of PTI’s legal team and fights most of the party’s cases in the Supreme Court.
Barrister Ali Zafar
Barrister Ali Zafar is the son of the late senior politician SM Zafar. SM Zafar was a member of the Muslim League for a long time and was also a senator several times.
Barrister Ali Zafar also represents PTI in important cases. He was also offered by Imran Khan to become the party chairman in his absence, which he declined, saying that the responsibility would conflict with his professional work after assuming the post of chairman.
Barrister Gauhar Ali Khan
Barrister Gauhar Ali Khan, who has been elected twice as party chairman after Imran Khan went to jail, officially joined the PTI in 2022.
However, earlier, he was associated with PTI as a lawyer.
Sher Afzal Marwat
Shirafazal Marwat was not well known before September 2023. However, after a scuffle with PML-N Senator Afnanullah Khan during a television show, he not only became a well-known figure but also became close to Imran Khan.
After this fight, his witty and witty speech during the discussions in various forums and talk shows has made him popular among the young supporters of PTI.
Shoaib Shaheen
Shoaib Shaheen is among those who joined Tehreek-e-Insaaf after May 9, 2023, when many of his people were leaving the party and condemning him.
Shoaib Shaheen was initially fighting PTI cases, but after the May 9 incident, he became a regular part of the party, and Imran Khan appointed him as its spokesman.
He defended the party in difficult times and also participated in the National Assembly elections from Islamabad on the party’s ticket.
According to the Election Commission notification, he lost the election, but Shoaib Shaheen claims that he is the winning candidate under Form 45.
Salman Akram Raja
Noted Supreme Court lawyer Salman Akram Raja was also initially associated with Tehreek-e-Insaf as a lawyer but later contested on its ticket.
He has been defeated by Aun Chaudhry of Tehreek-e-Swatati, Pakistan, but he also claims that he is the winner under Form 45.
Barrister Salman Raja now joins every PTI protest and has been arrested several times for short periods of time.
Latif Khosa
Latif Khosa, who has been very close to PPP senators and Asif Zardari in the past, joined PTI shortly before this year’s elections and defeated Khawaja Saad Rafiq from Lahore on its ticket. He has reached the National Assembly.
Latif Khosa also initially appeared in PTI cases as a lawyer and later managed to get a ticket.
