LAHORE FORMER Punjab Information Technology Minister and PML-Q Lahore office-bearer Abdul Aleem Khan on Sunday announced resigning from the party membership. He is expected to join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the coming days, sources have revealed. Abdul Aleem Khan, who was the ticket holder of PML-Q from two seats, NA-127 and PP-147, in a letter to the PML-Q leadership stated that the PPP had pushed the country into chaos and no sincere politician could ever think of extending support to the ruling party for its misdeeds in the last four years. He said the PML-Q was a party which was given the mandate by the people to stay in Opposition but the party leadership decided to come in coalition with PPP without taking its members into consultation.Moreover, he said the announcement by the PML-Q leadership to contest next elections while forming an alliance with the PPP had caused huge disappointment among the party workers who were not willing to accept the Pakistan People’s Party. Abdul Aleem also said that after quitting party office, he was free to adopt his next political course. In the 2002 general elections, Abdul Aleem contested on PML-Q ticket but lost the election to renowned religious scholar Allama Tahir ul Qadri, chairman of the Minhaj-ul Quran International. Abdul Aleem Khan was elected MPA in the by-polls held in early 2003 from PP-147, the seat vacated by Sardar Ayaz Sadiq of PML-N who preferred to take oath of National Assembly seat. Abdul Aleem was later inducted as minister in the cabinet of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and held the office till 2007. His close relative Faraz Chaudhry was also elected Nazim of Gulberg Town in the 2005 local government elections. In the 2008 polls, Abdul Aleem contested election from two seats but he lost both against Naseer Bhutta and Mohsin Latif of PML-N. Sources in the PTI have revealed that he would announce joining the PTI in the coming days.
