Daily Times

Former Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Parvez Elahi Tuesday announced joining the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) along with 10 of his party’s former MPAs, hours after PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain sacked him as the party’s Punjab president and revoked his basic membership.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore alongside PTI Vice President Fawad Chaudhry, Elahi said he had always stood with former prime minister Imran Khan during ‘hard and testing times’.

“After lengthy discussions, Parvez Elahi and other leaders have finally decided to join PTI today,” PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said, adding that entire party welcomes Elahi and his aides as they have now set on the path towards a “new Pakistan”. “Parvez Elahi has rendered sacrifices and stood by Imran Khan through thick and thin.”

Fawad also told journalists that the party has decided to appoint the former PML-Q leader as PTI’s president and the senior leadership has also green-lighted the decision. “We will move forward over this step in line with our party’s constitution,” he said. Elahi said that the PTI chief has promised of appointing him as the party’s president due to his sacrifices during the party’s tough times. “I have supported Imran Khan during difficult times and proved my loyalty through chief ministership,” he said. Elahi lashed out at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for shutting down the health card. He said no such step would be taken that harms the PTI’s reputation, adding that he will work “wherever Imran wishes” for him to.

Responding to a question pertaining to if he was given a hint by the establishment to join PTI, Elahi said: “If the establishment has given a hint, it’s good. I try that everyone moves along together.” Recalling the days when he dissolved the Punjab Assembly at the desire of the PTI chief, the former CM said that he would do everything which in turn is beneficial for the country.

Fawad said Elahi also met the PTI chairman in this regard, adding that the party “appreciates” the role played by the PML-Q. “Parvez Elahi has the support of Moonis Elahi and Hussain Elahi too,” he said. “There were two options. Either merge the PML-Q with PTI or they join PTI.”

Chaudhry welcomed the new PTI members to the party. On the occasion, he also highlighted that no one knew the whereabouts of Zaigham Khan and Muhammad Khan Bhatti so far. “We will stand together with the new PTI members,” he said, adding that Elahi’s name had been approved for the role of PTI’s central president.

Earlier in the day, it emerged that PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has dismissed Elahi from his party post and terminated his basic membership.

According to the PML-Q notice, dated Feb 14, Elahi’s party membership was terminated because he did not respond to the show-cause notice sent to him earlier over his comments about merging the PML-Q with another party. The notice added that Elahi could not associate himself with the party anymore. “Elahi has once again violated the party’s code of conduct by ignoring the show cause notice sent to him,” the notice reads.

It also referred to Jan 26’s proceedings when Elahi’s camp had removed Shujaat as the PML-Q president. The notice said that the incident had caused “tremendous harm” to the party and Elahi had committed another “serious mistake” by prioritising himself above the party.

Differences in the PML-Q ranks first appeared in March last year around the time of the no-confidence motion against Imran as Parvez and Moonis Elahi entered the PTI camp while Shujaat joined the then-opposition.

The same split was witnessed in July’s Punjab chief minister election saga as Shujaat supported the candidature of PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz instead of Parvez.

Amid a widening rift between the Chaudhrys of Gujrat, Shujaat had extended an olive branch in August to Parvez, asking him to put an end to differences.

The PML-Q leader had talked in detail about the reasons that led to discord between him and Parvez. He, however, had called for the reunion of the party that split into two camps following the rift over the election of the Punjab CM.