Aleem Khan phones Rana Sanauallh

ISLAMABAD: Senior member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Aleem Khan has made a telephone call to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) (Punjab Chapter) president Rana Sanaullah and discussed with him the fast changing political scenario, especially in the context of the Punjab province, sources told The News here on Wednesday.

The sources said Aleem Khan has contacted PML-N (Punjab Chapter) president Rana Sanaullah and informed him that he wanted to discuss some important issues in the context of fastchanging political scenario. “PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah immediately informed PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif about this political development who has told him to wait until he gives him directives in this respect,” the sources said.

The sources said Rana Sanaullah would give reply to the apparently-disgruntled PTI member after taking directives from Shahbaz Sharif. They said the PML-N leadership would assess all political options but is likely to keep a safe distance from those segments of PTI that are allegedly involved in flour and wheat crisis and being blamed for earning billions of rupees through government subsidies and price hike.

The sources said Aleem Khan had also approached Rana Sanaullah in the past when he was practically sidelined due to his growing differences with Prime Minister Imran Khan over the state of affairs in the Punjab province.

When Rana Sanaullah was arrested in controversial drug case, the PTI member sent him text messages and hoped that he would come out clean in this case, the sources said. When contacted, PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah confirmed to The News that “I had a detailed telephonic conversation with Aleem Khan and we discussed the current political situation in the country.” To a question, he said “It is too early to say that PML-N and disgruntled PTI’s group led by Aleem Khan will put in efforts to bring in-house change in Punjab because our party has a principled stance in this respect.”

He said: “First, we want electoral reforms and then we seek fresh general elections but there can be any interim arrangement till completion of these goals.” Replying to a question, he said “If someone says that Aleem Khan has a support of 20 to 25 PTI’s members of the Punjab Assembly then he will underestimate him. I personally know his real strength in the ranks of the PTI, which is much bigger than it.” He said when Aleem Khan was arrested and handcuffed during the PTI government he contacted him and asked him that Imran Khan was not doing good to him.

“Similarly, when I was arrested in a fake case Aleem Khan sent me messages and showed his reservations over it. So we have good mutual relationship that is getting stronger with each passing day,” he said.

To another question, he said that some PTI members from Punjab were also in contact with PML-N in the past but the PML-N leadership then decided that it would be useless to become part of the power politics without having any clear-cut people-oriented political agenda.