Stones should not be thrown on others while sitting in the glasshouse: Abdul Aleem Khan
LAHORE, April 04 (SABAH): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dissident Abdul Aleem Khan on Monday criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan and accused him of not being “sincere to the nation”. Abdul Aleem Khan said that all his messages sent to PM Imran Khan and his replies are present with him, adding that stones should not be thrown on others while sitting in the glasshouse. Abdul Aleem Khan said no one knew Imran Khan more then him. He said that the day four bureaucrats who served in Punjab will be apprehended it will come in front of masses whatsoever has been done by anyone, adding that the whole truth and actions will come in front of masses.
Once a close aide of the PTI chairman, Abdul Aleem Khan has grown disillusioned over the past few years and recently took a position against the party by deciding to support the joint opposition in the Punjab Assembly.
Talking to the media in Lahore on Monday, he said he regretted dedicating 10 years of his life to the party. “I have supported the PTI with great loyalty, hard work and kept my ego aside. We thought there would be a Naya Pakistan in the face of Imran Khan,” he said. “I’m sad that the person I spent 10 years of my life for is not sincere with the nation.”
Abdul Aleem Khan criticised the premier over a number of issues ranging from the National Accountability Bureau “hounding” him to his insistence on retaining Usman Buzdar as the chief minister and then the nomination of PML-Q leader Pervez Elahi as the new Punjab CM.
Aleem rued that he had been branded a “traitor to the PTI” as he called out his critics and claimed that no one in the party had sacrificed more than him.
In a similar vein, he issued a challenge to the prime minister to bring forth any evidence of corruption against him for which he said he was imprisoned for six months.
“Why wasn’t a reference made against me? What proof do you have? Bring it in front of the nation and tell them that these were Aleem Khan’s misdoings and corruption … I promise that if I turn out to be lying then I will shoot myself.” he said.
The PTI dissident leveled a number of allegations against Buzdar as well, saying that he was involved in bribery over transfers and postings in Punjab. He also accused Farah Khan, an associate of the first lady, of being complicit in these transfers.
He said any investigation would uncover who she (Farah) was forwarding the money of her alleged corruption while responding to a question about whether the first lady was also involved in supporting Farah.
Aleem criticised the prime minister for Sunday’s dissolution of the National Assembly as well, questioning what had stopped him from doing so before. He said that the premier could not dissolve the assemblies once a no-confidence resolution was submitted against him.
Abdul Aleem Khan said while throwing challenge for Prime Minister Imran Khan for one-on-one debate said he will expose all secrets of Naya Pakistan and asked Imran Khan to show who had sacrificed even half of me for PTI.
He said that he had been working with the PM since 2011 and since then he had been trying to save from any sort of burden. “Imran Khan along with PTI leader Mahmood-ur-Rasheed visited my house in 2011 and told me to organize public rally, he said and added he organized the rally on his personal expense.
Aleem Khan said that estrange PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen has also helped the party from his resources. “I was a member of Punjab assembly during 2007 to 2018,” he said and asked Imran Khan why he sent him in NAB when he wanted to appoint Usman Buzdar as Punjab CM.
The disgruntled PTI leader went on to say that he supported the prime minister for Naya Pakistan and didn’t do any favour for anyone but played his part for the New Pakistan.
“I had a business in Lahore but even then I stood up against then government when it was not easy for a businessman to stand against the government,” he said.