Aleem faction gives thumbs down to Elahi as CM

Two days after the ruling party stitched a deal up with PML-Q and decided to hand over Punjab’s top slot to Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, PTI’s Aleem Khan-led faction refused on Wednesday to vote for the latter as chief minister.

Expressing strong disapproval of PM Khan’s decision, the spokesperson for the faction, Mian Khalid Mahmood, said he could not even repeat the foul language the prime minister used to describe Elahi in the past.

“Aleem Khan faction would not dare repeat the mistakes made in the past,” he asserted, saying a “dishonest and useless coward” was imposed as the chief minister of Punjab for the first three years – referring to Usman Buzdar who resigned from the post two days ago – and now Pervez Elahi has been nominated for the position.

The muscular refusal from the PTI’s disgruntled group comes amid the swirling speculations that the precarious situation under which Elahi decided to accept the prime minister’s offer would only end up as a “nine day’s wonder” since the opposition is gaining grounds both in the Centre and Punjab.

A day earlier, PPP leader and former president Asif Ali Zardari had also claimed that Pervaiz Elahi would not be able to become chief minister of Punjab, saying the prospective coalition government would bring a change in Punjab.

On Wednesday, Mahmood questioned the decision and wondered if the prime minister did not find any single person out of the 184 PTI workers, who had helped Imran Khan achieve his dream, capable of becoming the chief minister.

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“Every sincere member of PTI has objected to Pervez Elahi becoming the chief minister of Punjab,” he claimed. "Surprised to know that Pervez Elahi will now be making a Naya Pakistan. If he was capable of it, why was there even a need to create PTI; Elahi had already been in politics for the past 42 years," the PTI leader said.

Mahmood emphasised that the Aleem Khan faction would not make any compromises and would support the opposition for the no-trust move unconditionally.

“Today, when it came to saving the government, you nominated a person you called a thief and robber as the chief minister of Punjab,” he said while referring to PM Imran.

He hoped that the members of the Jahangir Tareen group will also support members of the Aleem Khan faction.

“Jahangir Tareen has made many sacrifices for the PTI, we pray for his speedy recovery,” Khalid concluded.

The spokesperson’s reply was also sent to Chaudhry Pervez Elahi’s group.