GUJRAT: The Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q), an important political ally of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) in federal as well as the Punjab governments, has decided it won’t take up the matter of the written response submitted by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to the Lahore High Court with Prime Minister Imran Khan or his party.

The NAB in its response to the LHC, has levelled serious allegations of money laundering and building illegal assets against PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

MNA Moonis Elahi, a senior Q leader told Dawn on Saturday that the party had already decided it won’t lodge any complaint with the PTI or the prime minister with regard to the NAB allegations despite the fact that the party believed such actions were aimed at “political engineering”.

He said such a complaint by them would serve the cause of “those elements who were actually behind the NAB move”. He said having independent views and policies on various national and regional issues, the PML-Q never backtracked on its support to the PTI-led governments at federal and Punjab level.

Moonis said the PML-Q leadership had not been in direct contact with Imran Khan or any of his close aides since the dinner hosted by the prime minister during the budget session of the parliament, which they could not attend.

However, he said the party was determined to remain a part of coalition governments at the Centre and Punjab.

When asked whether his two meetings with Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar during the last couple of weeks were aimed at conveying any message to the federal government, he said the meetings were of “personal nature” and had nothing to do with politics. He, however, added he had called on the governor in connection with some “administrative matters” and politics was not discussed.

Moonis said Chaudhry Shujaat and Pervaiz Elahi had already provided the NAB inquiry officers with complete money trail and proof of their assets. As far as their sons were concerned, the NAB had been told that they had been doing their independent businesses for the last 15 to 20 years, he added.

It is learnt that the NAB had submitted its response to the LHC around a couple of weeks ago and after the issue was highlighted by the media on Friday, a PML-Q spokesman denied the allegations and termed it a part of “malicious media campaign against the senior party leadership”.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2020