Elahi takes a dig at PTI chief, kicking up storm

LAHORE:

 

Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi was openly fumed on Sunday at PTI chief Imran Khan’s comments targeting Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and reminded the “ungrateful” PTI about the “favours” of former army chief upon the party, warning it to keep its criticism “within limits”.

In a no-holds-barred interview with a private news channel, Elahi – who governs Punjab with the help of PTI – made a scathing assessment of Imran’s criticism of the former army chief during his Saturday’s address and bemoaned the “injustice” of making him sit beside him while lashing out at Gen Bajwa.

“I was very offended when Imran Khan spoke against Gen Bajwa,” he said, adding that “Bajwa sahab is our benefactor and one should not speak against their benefactors.”

He claimed he “felt very bad” about it but could not raise the issue since there were too many people and he could not have time for a personal meeting with Imran. He stressed that the former army chief has “done a lot” for the PTI chief and “favours should not be forgotten”.

The chief minister said the PTI should “remember Bajwa sahab’s favours and not be ungrateful”. The former army chief, he added, “elevated the party’s stature from nothing” and backed the government on many international matters including negotiating procurement of funds from Pakistan’s Arab allies or the IMF.

“What do they (PTI) think of themselves? Have they descended from the heavens above? If there is any further talk against Gen (retd) Bajwa, then my party and I will be the first ones to defend him,” he warned.

He said that when Imran told him to dissolve the Punjab Assembly, he had agreed straightaway. However, in the same breath, he said that “we are not against Imran Khan or the PTI, we stand with them; but we cannot bite the hand that feeds us”.

He said he had reiterated the same in his meeting with the PTI chief a day ago at the PTI chief’s Zaman Park residence. “Imran replied: ‘I’ve received many requests advising against criticising Bajwa,’ so I said: ‘Then accept them,’” Elahi added.

He said he had “felt very bad” about the entire situation but could not raise the issue since there were too many people around and he could not have time for a personal meeting with Imran.

Gen Faiz

The chief minister also lamented that “Imran never made Moonis a minister” and recalled that Imran wouldn’t even let Moonis sit next to him" but we fully supported Imran despite that".

“So what is this treatment? When have we never supported Imran?” the chief minister questioned, adding that the PTI had “straightened” after the PML-Q’s support for the Senate elections and made Moonis a federal minister.

"General [retd] Faiz Hamid committed many abuses,” he regretted as he alleged that the former military official had “tried to put us behind bars” and that he was “against us”.

He claimed that Gen Faiz was “strongly against” him and alleged that the ex-ISI chief had called up the NAB chairman at the time and told him to “arrest me and Moonis”.

Pervaiz Elahi also revealed that he had taken the matter up with the ex-COAS when he was in office and that Gen (retd) Faiz had then informed that the alleged political persecution had been ordered by Imran Khan.

Moonis meets Imran to defuse tensions

Feeling the political heat generated by Elahi’s acerbic statement, PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi met former premier Imran Khan, assuring him of his party's support.

To defuse the tension between the PTI and PML-Q, Moonis Elahi reached Imran Khan's residence in Zaman Park, with senior PTI leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain also present during the meeting.

Moonis informed Imran about his position regarding Pervaiz Elahi's remarks and took the former premier into confidence over his father's statement.

Sources said that the meeting lasted for 20 minutes, after which Moonis left Zaman Park.

The meeting took place almost at the same time when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who is Moonis' uncle.

Shehbaz inquired after Shujaat's health and presented a bouquet during the meeting which took place at the PML-Q chief's residence in Lahore. The two leaders discussed the political situation of the country, with the premier apprising the PML-Q chief about steps taken by the government to fix the economy and give relief to the masses.

Both leaders were of the view that political stability and close cooperation were necessary to bring the country out of the problems it is currently facing.

In the meeting, special consideration was given to the political situation in Punjab and the course of action was decided in case PTI dissolves Punjab Assembly.