LAHORE: The surprise move of one of the estranged leaders of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Aleem Khan has stunned the government, allies and opposition parties at once by announcing to join Jahangir Tareen’s group amid the ongoing race for the no-confidence motion.
Aleem Khan’s move spread confusion amongst the opposition ranks besides creating a panic in the PTI government’s camp.
Yesterday, Aleem Khan had announced to join Jahangir Tareen’s group and openly criticised the PTI leadership for giving him the responsibility to Tareen despite his unforgettable services to the ruling political party. He, however, rejected the rumours for his desire to become the next chief minister of Punjab. He also announced that Jahangir Tareen, who is currently residing in London, will authorize any decision in the future.
Opposition still running short of numbers to bring no-confidence motion
The announcement came at a time when the PTI government and the opposition parties have been doing efforts to gather numbers for the success or failure of the no-confidence motion likely against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
However, dust is yet to settle over the recent developments after Aleem Khan and Jahangir Khan emerged as the key political players amid the no-confidence motion’s race.
The PTI government has sensed the importance of Aleem Khan and Jahangir Tareen and expedited efforts to appease them.
The key ally political party in Punjab and the Centre, Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q), has observed the sudden collapse of its importance after the emergence of the Jahangir Tareen group having the support of many lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly and the National Assembly.
No-confidence motion likely in 48 hours, says PDM head
The federal ministers and Sindh governor had been claiming that they will be successful to appease Jahangir Tareen and Aleem Khan to get them back to the ruling party. It was learnt that the Tareen group wanted to replace Punjab CM Usman Buzdar with another one after expressing serious concerns against his governance.
On the other hand, the opposition ranks felt that Jahangir Tareen-Aleem Khan’s support will be crucial for the success of its no-trust move, however, any change in the Punjab regime would change the political scenario.
It may be noted that Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had given another 24 and 48-hour deadline to PM Imran Khan yesterday for bringing the no-confidence motion, however, they did not announce the final date.