After retiring from his military service, Asghar Khan announced he was forming a political party, the Tehrik-e-Istiqlal (TeI) (lit. "Movement for Solidarity Party"), in response to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's announcement of the formation of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The TeI was a centrist political party founded in direct opposition to the left-wing PPP, though both were opposing the Ayub administration. Despite its centerist and secular program, the TeI attracted the right-wing conservative vote bank and support from the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amals ultraconservative clergy. During the election campaign in 1969–70, Khan placed the blame on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for starting the second war with India in 1965 after reading a statement from Ayub Khan after meeting the latter.