PML-Q leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi on Tuesday alleged that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had been using the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to “trace the location” of party MPAs ahead of Punjab chief minister’s election on July 22.
He further alleged that the minister was doing it to influence the upcoming election.
The Supreme Court had on July 1 ruled that a new Punjab chief minister election would take place on July 22 and said incumbent Hamza Shehbaz would remain in office till then as it heard the PTI and the PML-Q’s pleas against Hamza’s election and oath-taking.
Flanked by PTI and PML-Q leaders in Lahore, Elahi — who is himself is a candidate for top slot — told a press conference that IB Director General Fawad Asadullah “must refrain from such acts as he was monitoring the locations of PML-Q and PTI lawmakers at the behest of Shehbaz Sharif and Sanaullah”.
“It is my warning to the IB head that he must stop doing this.”
He went on to allege that PM Shehbaz had “formed a cell” specifically for the purpose to keep watch on rival MPAs as the chief minister’s election approaches.
“They lost the public trust and now they are resorting to such cheap tactics,” Elahi added.
In response to a question on whether any “other forces” were backing the IB, the PML-Q leader said “only the prime minister is backing it”.
He also claimed that a man associated with the PML-Q who had businesses overseas was also recently picked by the IB from the Lahore airport “for no reason”.
