LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid Punjab Secretary General Shafay Hussain has advised the embattled Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi to form his own party after quitting the PTI as there was no room for the former chief minister in the PML-Q.

Flanked by former Punjab governor Chaudhry Sarwar, Mr Hussain was speaking to media persons outside the Jinnah House, that was attacked and torched during May 9 protests.

He said Mr Elahi would be welcomed if he wanted to visit the family “but politically, it would be better for him to form his own party”.

Condemning the attack on Jinnah House following the arrest of the PTI chairman in the Al-Qadir Trust case, he observed that PTI was behind the attacks on the military installations and smashing of statues of the national heroes.

“The miscreants burnt everything at the Corps Commander’s House,” he lamented.PML-Q chief organiser Chaudhry Sarwar said his party and the PPP had yet not decided to contest the general election jointly.

Condemning the May 9 attacks, Mr Sarwar said he had always supported the weak and the poor and demanded that all the innocent persons not involved in May 9 episode should be released at the earliest.

“The entire nation of Pakistan is aware that when political parties have difficulties, I support them,” he said and claimed that he supported Benazir Bhutto while she was in exile, backed Nawaz Sharif during Pervaiz Musharraf’s rule, and joined the PTI when no one else was prepared to do so.

When asked about the ban on the PTI, he said, he never supported banning any party.

“I was not coerced into joining or leaving any party,” he added.

Answering a question, Mr Sarwar said former Azad Kashmir premier Tanveer Ilyas had claimed to bring 10 to 15 important members with him, to which PML-Q Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had given him nod.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2023