ISLAMABAD – Former PTI provincial minister and now a dissident, Abdul Aleem Khan, on Monday slammed Prime Minister Imran Khan and accused him of not being sincere to the nation.
The allegations came a day after Imran Khan dissolved the parliament soon after National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri dismissed the no-confidence motion against him as unconstitutional on the ground that it was sponsored by foreign powers.
Addressing a presser, Aleem Khan said he met the US ambassador with Imran Khan at Bani Gala. “Were we traitors?” Aleem asked, days after announcing support for PML-N leader Hamza Shehbaz for Punjab chief minister’s office.
“Why did you meet the EU ambassador and the US envoy with me at your place, and were you not a traitor for doing so?” the former minister asked Khan who now holds Prime Minister’s Office until appointment of a caretaker prime minister.
Aleem’s press conference came a day after PM Imran named US Central Asian Affairs official Donald Lu as the man behind the conspiracy to oust the PTI government through a no-confidence vote.
Aleem, a former close aide of Imran Khan, regretted dedicating almost a decade of his life to the PTI. He threatened with putting many shrouded facts in front of the nation, saying that he had been named among traitors for calling out his critics.
The ex-senior minister lambasted the PM and asked why he did not name anyone from the 183 party MPAs as Punjab chief minister and why he nominated Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi for the top provincial office?
“Have you no shame for sending your own companions behind the bars?” Aleem asked, adding that he informed the prime minister about corruption under the Usman Buzdar-led government.
He mentioned the name of Farah Jamil, a close friend of First Lady Bushra Bibi, who garnered attention after leaving for Dubai. Aleem linked Farah to corrupt rackets. He said she handled transfers and postings of bureaucrats in Punjab, but now she and her husband have absconded to Dubai.
The Pakistani PM is facing the worst political crisis these days. He sparked controversy on Sunday by saying that US official Donald Lu warned Pakistan’s envoy to the US that there would be implications if Imran Khan survives the no-trust motion.
The political drama in the South Asian country made headlines across the globe after President Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on PM Imran’s advice.
White House Director of Communications Kate Bedingfield rejected the allegations levelled by the Pakistani PM about Washington’s role in conspiracy to oust his government.
Bedingfield told media personnel that there was absolutely no truth to Khan’ allegations, saying the US was closely following developments in Pakistan.
PM Imran names US official at centre of ‘threatening letter’ controversy
Washington respects and support Islamabad’s constitutional process and the rule of law, US officials said, as relations between the two remained frosty since the US withdrew from Afghanistan in August last year. Experts suggest that China and other countries cast a shadow over US policy towards Pakistan.
