‘Don’t throw stones while living in a glasshouse,’ Chohan advises Sarwar, Aleem

PTI leader alleges Sarwar would urge PTI members to be dissent against party, join Aleem and Tareen factions

ISLAMABAD:

Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) from Punjab and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leader Fayyaz Ul Hassan Chohan advised on Tuesday former Punjab governor Chaudhry Sarwar and estranged PTI leader Aleem Khan to ‘not throw stones while living in a glasshouse’.

The PTI leaders remarks came following Sarwar and Aleem's allegations against Prime Minister Imran Khan and the incumbent government, during separately held press conferences.

Commenting on the former governor’s press conference, Chohan said that he was himself removed from minister-level positions twice, but never spoke ill of the party because one has to bear all kinds of weathers for the party and its leadership.

He stated that Chaudhry Sarwar should’ve remained quiet for a few months, after he was removed as governor, and instead discussed issues with party leaders, and “maybe things would have been sorted and you [Sarwar] would have been placed in a better position”.

Chohan claimed that Sarwar had always been on a different ship and used to openly criticise former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar and speak against the party inside the Governor House, as well as during his foreign trips.

“You would call MPAs and tell them to join the Aleem Khan or the Jahangir Tareen factions, ask them to sway from party policies,” he alleged, maintaining that there were witnesses to these acts of his.

He further maintained that he was removed on the basis of these actions and it was wrong of him to indulge in negative, accusatory politics afterwards.

Highlighting another one of his “lies”, Chohan stated that Prime Minister Imran Khan had never pressured Sarwar to break the Punjab Assembly.

“I’m surprised at your wisdom. There is no law, no clause that says that a governor has the authority to break a provincial assembly without the chief minister advising him to do so,” he said, pointing out that Buzdar could not have made the suggestion as he was facing a vote of no-trust in the provincial assembly.

He maintained that Sarwar’s statement was a complete “lie”, and advised him to not speak before the media again.

Read Sarwar blasts PTI for ‘imposing’ Buzdar, ‘pleasing’ Chaudhrys

Commenting on Aleem Khan’s press conference, the PTI MPA stated that he no longer respected Aleem due to his disrespectful comments towards Imran Khan and PTI.

“His first lie was that he was given three NAB notices in his first ten days as MPA. However, he was given his first NAB notice on January 11, 2018 - during PML-N's government,” Chohan said while apparently waving the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) first notice to Aleem.

“His NAB case was open and shut and the reference is still on the NAB chairperson’s desk, but there has been no action against him because he has someone’s favour,” Chohan alleged.

Referring to Aleem’s accusations against Imran Khan for calling Pervez Elahi – the premier’s choice for Punjab chief – a thief, Chohan maintained that Aleem Khan also used to speak against Hamza Shehbaz - the opposition's choice for Punjab chief minister who the Aleem Khan faction is now supporting.

Unable to play audio proof before the media due to technical difficulties, Chohan stated that Aleem had called Shehbaz Sharif and the entire Sharif family "the biggest thieves of all" and had threatened to drag them across the streets of Lahore.

“However, yesterday you were sitting on young Zardari’s [Bilawal Bhutto] lap, dragging Imran Khan,” Chohan added.

He further said that Aleem had met the US counsel general in September 2021, and 20-25 days later left his post as a senior minister and changed his point of view and manner of speaking towards PTI – furthering Imran Khan’s conspiracy that the US had backed the no-confidence motion against the premier.