GUJRAT: The local chapter of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has suffered a setback as its city secretary general announced joining the rival PML-Q.

Raja Habibur Rehman made the announcement during a meeting with senior PML-Q leader MNA Chaudhry Moonis Elahi at latter’s house near Kunjah that has now become a bastion of political activities of the Chaudhrys.

Former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had spent around three months in the house during the peak of Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

Raja Habib said he decided to join the PML-Q because of Chaudhrys’ services for Gujrat as well as the country and vowed to strive for strengthening the PML-N.

Sources said a local PML-Q leader Amjad Pervez Butt paved the way for bringing the key official of the PML-N local chapter.

Moonis Elahi welcomed Mr Rehman in the the party and assured complete support to the new comer.

Meanwhile, a number of former chairmen of various city union councils including Mungowal, Kunjah, Moinuddinpur Syedan also called on Mr Elahi at Kunjah House and shared different public issues with him.

TLP leaders: Some leaders of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) from Multan, Hafizabad, Jhang and Toba Tek Singh and one leader of the PTI and PML-N each called on Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in Lahore on Wednesday and announced joining the PML-Q.

Those joining the party included TLP PP-71 Hafizabad ticketholder Syed Shoaib Shah Bokhari, Toba Tek Singh’s Sajid Reza Khetran and Abid Hussain Khetran of Kamalia, former Multan PTI president Dr Khalid Khan Khakwani and PP-126 Jhang PML-N ticket holder Muhammad Azad Nasir.

Welcoming them in the party-fold, Mr Elahi said the doors of his party were open for those who loved Muslim League.

“We do not leave our friends, and solving people’s problems is our first priority,” he said.

The speaker asked them to launch an awareness campaign according to the party manifesto in their respective constituencies and actively take part in the party reorganisation.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2020