LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday changed its nominee for the chief ministerial position of Punjab. Despite obtaining protective bails from the Peshawar High Court in 19 cases across various cities, Mian Aslam Iqbal’s ongoing police inquiries prompted PTI to reconsider.
PTI Punjab Chapter Acting President Hamad Azhar took to social media to announce the decision. He highlighted the potential risk of arrest for Iqbal within the Punjab Assembly, leading the party leadership to nominate Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan, a seasoned politician from the region, in his place.
In his social media post, Hamad Azhar said that Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan has extensive political experience and served as a member of Punjab Assembly for five terms.
🚨ضروری اعلان :
میاں اسلم اقبال کو بانی چیرمین عمران خان نے وزیر اعلی پنجاب کے عہدے کے لئے نامزد کیا تھا۔ ان کو گرفتار کرنے لے لئے سارے صوبے کی پولیس اسمبلی کے گرد موجود ہے۔ اس صورتحال میں میاں اسلم اقبال کی مشاورت سے پاڑٹی قیادت اور میاں اسلم اقبال نے نے وزیراعلی کے انتخاب کے… pic.twitter.com/nkJYhCwApY
— Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) February 24, 2024
It is noteworthy that PTI had initially nominated Mian Aslam Iqbal for the chief ministerial role in Punjab. Following the party decision, Iqbal who remained in hiding after the May 9 riots, appeared and approached to the Peshawar High Court for protective bail.
The Peshawar High Court granted protective bail to him in the 19 cases filed against him in Islamabad, Faisalabad, and Lahore, after which he returned to Lahore.
Following the Punjab police’s statement indicating that they had not yet received the copy of the decision from the Peshawar High Court, Mian Aslam chose to refrain from taking the oath as a member of the Punjab Assembly on Friday. Furthermore, he remained absent from today’s session of the assembly.
