Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Aleem Khan has joined Jahangir Khan Tareen's group of PTI lawmakers with his aides, Aaj News reported.
The decision was taken during a meeting held at Tareen’s Lahore residence on Monday as the opposition charged ahead with its plans to table a no-confidence motion against the government.
Provincial ministers Nauman Langrial, Ajmal Cheema as well as MPAs Khurram Leghari, Abdul Hai Dasti, Lala Tahir Randhawa, Salman Naeem, Aslam Bharwana, Saeed Nawani, Zawar Hussain, Bilal Warraich, Amin Chaudry, Qasim Langah were among those that gathered at Tareen's residence.
Punjab chief minister’s former adviser, Awn Chaudry, was also among the attendees.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Aleem Khan said that he had decided to join the Tareen group in order to re-organise the loyalists of the party who had been sidelined due to the people around Prime Minister Imran Khan.
He said that he had not joined PTI for power as he enjoyed more luxury than any government member.
“I joined Prime Minister Imran Khan’s campaign because he was the only hope for a hopeless nation,” Aleem said, adding that PTI was not a single person’s party but it belonged to everyone including him and Jahangir Tareen, who had worked hard to bring it to power.
To a question if the disgruntled group will join the opposition’s no-confidence motion, Aleem Khan said that when the time comes, the group will take a unanimous decision under the leadership of Jahangir Tareen.
'Tareen, Khan integral part of PTI'
However, the government was not perturbed by the sudden political activity in Lahore.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry asserted that Tareen and Khan were still an integral part of the ruling PTI.
"They are a part of our party," he said, adding that internal politics within a party was a common occurrence.
"They are doing their politics and have relations with several of our MPAs [...] Aleem Khan and Tareen have close relations with PM Imran."