According to a news report published in The News, the associates of Uzair, including Rehman Baloch and others told the PTI leadership of Karachi that they were patriotic Pakistanis and will give support in public and will not hide their support for PTI.
London-based Habib Jan features in both Joint Investigation Team (JIT) reports as a key associate of Uzair Jan Baloch. For uptil 2015, he ran a group called Friends of Layari International and held events in the houses of Parliament and mainly opposed MQM and Altaf Hussain.
Habib Jan claimed that in 2011, PTI-UK’s former president Rabiz Zia, who now works for Punjab Governor Chaudhary Sarwar, called on his cell phone and said that Imran Khan wanted to speak to Zulfikar Mirza as both Imran Khan and Mirza happened to be in London at the same time.
Habib Jan said: “I asked Rabia Zia to let me speak to Imran Khan first. Imran Khan asked me how I was doing etc and then he spoke to Zulfikar Mirza. I remember I was in West London’s Dawat Restaurant when I received Rabia’s call. It was agreed that we would support PTI. Following that Uzair Baloch sent 25 or 40 vehicles for PTI’s Karachi jelsa; we also sent our manpower to PTI’s Larkana jelsa.”
Habib Jan added: “I was in PTI and I still consider myself in PTI. We supported Imran Khan for his anti-corruption agenda and we had no choice after Benazir Bhutto’s martyrdom. We hated Asif Ali Zardari so out of Zardari-hatred we went to PTI. I have pictures with the late Naeemul Haq and Ali Zaidi but I don’t want to please those pictures. I have regard for the values. Without our help, Imran Khan would not have been able to come out of Karachi airport."
Habib Jan claimed that Uzair Baloch helped PTI leaders to hold public rallies in Karachi and without their support, the PTI would not have dared. “I ask Faisal Vawda to explain how he held a rally in Clifton, I ask Ali Zaidi the same question. Layari and Malir were the main PTI support base."
Habib Jan also said that PPP’s support for Uzair Jan and vice versa is well known to all and Faryal Talpur, Qadir Patel, Sharmila Faruqi and Saeed Ghani held negotiations with Uzair Jan Baloch.