LAHORE, MAR 7: PTI leader Abdul Aleem Khan, a former Punjab minister and a close aide of Prime Minister Imran Khan, announced on Monday that he would be joining the group of lawmakers led by estranged party leader Jahangir Khan Tareen.

His announcement came after members of the group converged at Tareen’s Lahore residence as the opposition charged ahead with its plans to table a no-confidence motion against the government.

Provincial ministers Nauman Langrial, Ajmal Cheema as well as MPAs Khurram Leghari, Abdul Hai Dasti, Lala Tahir Randhawa, Salman Naeem, Aslam Bharwana, Saeed Nawani, Zawar Hussain, Bilal Warraich, Amin Chaudry, Qasim Langah were also among the participants.

In his media talk, Khan stated that Tareen — who is currently in London seeking medical treatment — had played a massive part in the PTI’s rise to power.

He said that Tareen was currently not in the best of health, adding that the group had held a meeting at his residence to send the message that he had not been “forgotten”.

He reiterated that Tareen had played a crucial role in the history of the party, and lamented the fact that he was later sidelined.

“Many people [within the party] do not understand why this happened. All those people who worked for Naya Pakistan alongside the prime minister, why were they ignored? There is no answer for this,” he said.

“Other people surround the leader when governments are formed,” he said, adding that “committed and loyal” workers were pushed to the side.

He said that he would not have been disheartened if the party’s popularity had been growing, but said that there were growing concerns among party workers and loyalists about the government’s performance in Punjab.

“All of us who were part of the tehreek and were sincere. Let us all come together on one platform,” he said. He also stated that he had met more than 40 MPAs during the last four days, all of whom had expressed concerns over Punjab’s governance.

“We will try to unite all the groups within PTI,” he said, adding that they felt “sad” when they saw their struggle going in vain.

“PTI does not belong to one individual. It belongs to all of us,” Khan said.

The ex-minister said that the group would work until the end to strengthen the PTI, calling on all groups within the party to come together.

Khan made no mention of the no-confidence motion against the prime minister, but was unable to escape questions from reporters who asked him whether the group was with the government or against it.

“If a no-trust motion is moved, we will make a decision together,” he said.