LAHORE: Disgruntled Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Abdul Aleem Khan, who along with his posse recently joined forces with Hamza Shehbaz for the election of Punjab chief minister, denied the claim suggesting he was involved in an altercation with Pakistan Muslim Leauge-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president and that he has threatened to resign from his seat.
Shehbaz is “like my younger brother and I enjoy a relationship based on affection and respect with him”, Khan said in a tweet before apparently accusing Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi of spreading the rumour.
پرویز الہیٰ صاحب کو اپنی ہار نظر آر ہی ہے۔اُن کو پتہ چل چکا ہے کہ شکست اُن کا مقدر بن چکی ہےتو وہ بھونڈی حرکتوں پر آگئے ہیں۔ حمزہ کے ساتھ میرا بہت ہی اچھا محبت اور عزت کارشتہ ہے۔ وہ میرے چھوٹے بھائیوں کی طرح ہیں۔ایسی کوئی بات نہیں ہوئی اور نہ ہوگی۔ 1/2
— Abdul Aleem Khan (@abdul_aleemkhan) April 13, 2022
The rumoured altercation had taken place in a Lahore hotel, according to Asad Kharal, a journalist.
لاہور کے ایک ہوٹل میں علیم خان اور حمزہ شہباز کے درمیان مبینہ طور پرلڑائی اورتلخ کلامی کی خبر
علیم خان کی مستعفی ہونے کی دھمکی
— Asad Kharal (@AsadKharal) April 13, 2022
Unverified reports also claimed the argument escalated fast and turned physical, leading to Shehbaz slapping Khan. Pakistan Today could not independently verify the claim.
⚠️BREAKING⚠️: Hamza Shebaz slaps Aleem Khan after a heated argument between the two regarding the deal made.
Aleem Khan threatens to break alliance if their demands aren’t met, in return gets slapped across the face from Hamza.#امپورٹڈ_حکومت_نامنظور*Sources yet to confirm.
— TheOneTrueKing Imran Khan 👑 (@DoctorLegionX) April 13, 2022
A separate report said Khan threatened to part ways with Shehbaz ahead of the crucial election for the office of the provincial chief executive if his demands aren’t met.
When a journalist asked the Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi about this matter, he smiled and said: “I have nothing to do with the fight between Aleem and Hamza.”
PTI leader and member Punjab Assembly Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chauhan said that there was a fight between Hamza and Aleem, in which Aleem was slapped.
However, Hamza also tweeted separately and termed the news as fabricated. “The lie that is being propagated regarding me and Aleem Khan is baseless. Aleem Khan is a respected brother and senior politician,” Hamza wrote in a tweet.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Assembly also termed the rumour that the assembly’s secretary has banned the entry of 10 MPAs of PML-N before the elections of CM as fake.
It is pertinent to mention that Aleem Khan, a longtime PTI stalwart, in March joined a group of disgruntled lawmakers led by former party secretary-general Jahangir Tareen but broke ranks shortly after to join Shehbaz and announced support for the PML-N leader in the election.
