LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) made a significant change on Saturday, altering its candidate for the Chief Ministerial position of Punjab. Despite Mian Aslam Iqbal securing protective bails from the Peshawar High Court in 19 cases across different cities, ongoing police inquiries led PTI to reconsider its decision.
Acting President of PTI’s Punjab Chapter, Hamad Azhar, announced the decision on social media. He emphasized the potential risk of Iqbal’s arrest within the Punjab Assembly, prompting the party leadership to nominate Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan, a seasoned politician from the region, as his replacement.
Azhar highlighted Khan’s extensive political experience, noting his five terms as a member of the Punjab Assembly.
Initially, PTI had selected Mian Aslam Iqbal for the Chief Ministerial role in Punjab. Following this decision, Iqbal, who had been in hiding after the May 9 riots, appeared before the Peshawar High Court to seek protective bail.
The Peshawar High Court granted Iqbal protective bail in the 19 cases filed against him in Islamabad, Faisalabad, and Lahore, after which he returned to Lahore. However, in light of the Punjab police’s statement indicating that they had not received the decision’s copy from the Peshawar High Court, Iqbal chose not to take the oath as a member of the Punjab Assembly on Friday. Additionally, he remained absent from today’s session of the assembly.
