No plans of joining a political party or launching one, says Aleem Khan.

Former PTI leader Abdul Aleem Khan - who was disqualified as a lawmaker last year - said on Sunday that he had no plans of joining a new political party or launching one.

'Right now I am only focused on welfare work,' he said in a statement.

Aleem's remarks come as a clarification after it was reported that some PTI dissidents, led by Jahangir Tareen and himself, were weighing options to either join the PPP or form a new party.

Another stalwart - former Punjab governor Chaudhry Sarwar - who has strained relations with both the PML-N and PTI, also sees his future lying with either the PPP or the Tareen group.

At least 25 PTI MPAs - including Aleem - had violated the party line last year and voted for PML-N chief minister candidate Hamza Shehbaz. Under the court's order, these lawmakers stood disqualified.

Subsequently, the PML-N awarded them tickets for the by-polls last July in return for their 'sacrifice'. However, almost all of them lost to the PTI, paving the way for the ouster of short-lived chief minister Hamza.

Similarly, some PTI dissident MNAs from the Tareen group had joined hands with the PML-N-led coalition in the Centre - incumbent National Assembly opposition leader Raja Riaz is one of them. They are also said to be exploring future political options.

The move came after Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah recently spoke his party's mind on the future of the PTI dissidents.

He blamed the 'turncoat factor' for their loss in the July by-polls and declared that they would not be considered for tickets in the next general election. 'The PML-N will prefer the...