PTI changes its Punjab CM nominee

Party replaces Mian Aslam Iqbal with Rana Aftab

LAHORE:

The PTI has named Rana Aftab Ahmed Khan as its new candidate for the post of the Punjab chief minister following the provincial police’s attempt to arrest its earlier nominee, Mian Aslam Iqbal.

PTI secretary general Hammad Azhar on Saturday wrote on social media platform X that Mian Aslam was nominated by the party’s founding chairman, Imran Khan, for the post of the Punjab chief minister but as the “entire” police of the province had surrounded the provincial assembly to arrest him, the leadership had changed its plan.

He was referring to Mian Aslam’s decision to attend the inaugural session of the Punjab Assembly on Saturday.
He added that the PTI leadership, in consultation with Mian Aslam, had named Rana Aftab as its new nominee for the coveted slot.

On Wednesday, the Peshawar High Court granted protective bail to Mian Aslam in in 18 cases till March 4 registered against him in connection with last year’s May 9 riots in Punjab and Islamabad.

However, on the same day, Mian Aslam managed to avert being arrested in Peshawar by reportedly disguising himself in lawyers’ attire..

The Punjab police had tried to round up Mian Aslam, but he successfully eluded them and sought refuge at the K-P Speaker’s House.

A day later in a post on X, Mian Aslam wrote that the Constitution and law were being shredded into pieces by the Punjab police and bureaucracy. “Despite being granted bail by the Peshawar High Court, the Punjab police attempted to abduct me in Peshawar,” he added.

A day earlier, the PHC took exception to the attempt of the Punjab police to arrest Mian Aslam in Peshawar despite the issuance of protective bail to him by the court and directed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police chief to ensure that if those officials made a similar bid in the future, they should be subjected to legal action.

Giving details about the new Punjab CM nominee, Azhar explained that Rana Aftab was elected to the Punjab Assembly five times and the youngest person in the provincial legislature.

The PTI acting Punjab president claimed that according to Form 45, the party enjoyed the support of 212 MPAs against the PML-N, which only had the backing of 40 “true members”.

Describing the PML-N as a “democracy raider”, Azhar insisted that the rest of its members in the provincial assembly were the products of the “rejected February 9 forgeries”.

In response, PML-N central spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb maintained that the Sunni Ittehad Council had taken its first “U-turn” by changing the nominee for the Punjab chief minister post.

Speaking to the media outside the Punjab Assembly, she said that the PML-N’s nominated Punjab chief minister Maryam Nawaz would announce the road map for the development of the province and effective measures for the uplift of women on Sunday (today).
Aurangzeb added that the Almighty had granted once again granted the post of the premier and chief minister to the PML-N.Home vertical sub 4 and pak