ISLAMABAD: A member of the National Assembly from Mandi Bahauddin, Aijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, who had reportedly joined the PML-N after winning his seat in last year’s general election as an independent candidate, joined on Saturday the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and handed over his resignation to party chairman Imran Khan.

Mr Chaudhry, who fought and won the 2002 elections from the platform of then ruling PML-Q, announced the decision at his Islamabad residence in the presence of Mr Khan and PTI Secretary General Jahangir Tareen.

Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, however, claimed that Mr Chaudhry had not joined the PML-N and only opted to sit on the treasury benches.

Mr Rashid said the PML-N’s parliamentary board had not awarded the party ticket to Mr Chaudhry because he was facing court proceedings for possessing a fake degree.

Giving reasons for quitting the PML-N, Mr Chaudhry alleged that the government had done nothing to restore the infrastructure damaged by recent floods in his constituency and the district. He said people of his area wanted their rights like the people of Lahore and Islamabad.

He praised Mr Khan for his “struggle against corruption and poll rigging” and for the rights of poor farmers and middle class people.

Aijaz Chaudhry hands over his resignation to Imran Khan

Mr Khan said that members and workers of PML-N had no opportunity to reach top of the party. “Only close relatives and courtiers of the Sharifs can get top slots in the party,” he alleged.

Minister: The information minister said that an election tribunal of the Lahore High Court had disqualified Mr Chaudhry from holding a public office in the fake degree case and he had been attending National Assembly’s sessions after obtaining a stay order.

He said that Mr Khan in his speeches criticised those lawmakers who had obtained stay orders against their disqualification but now he had accepted such a person in his party.

He claimed that Mr Chaudhry had joined the PTI to use the party as a shelter because the court was about to issue final judgment in his case.

In a verdict issued in March last year, Justice Kazim Ali Malik of the LHC’s election tribunal had disqualified Mr Chaudhry for submitting a fake degree and concealing facts in his nomination papers on a petition of PML-N leader Mumtaz Ahmed Tarar.

Published in Dawn, November 30th , 2014