ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday appointed Chaudhary Parvez Elahi as president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in culmination of a series of political developments in which the latter sided with the PTI chief.
Elahi, who was previously among the top Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leaders, remained Khan’s coalition partner in the province since the last elections. The former prime minister nominated him as Punjab chief minister after being driven out of power at the center in a parliamentary no-confidence vote last April.
Khan also started agitating for snap polls in the country after the fall of his administration and ultimately announced to dissolve the legislative bodies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, where his party was in a power, to build pressure on the government to hold national elections.
Elahi complied with his instructions by sending a summary to the governor, seeking the dissolution of the assembly.
“Ch Pervez Illahi is hereby, designated as President Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf,” Khan wrote in a brief notification issued on his party’s letterhead which he signed in his capacity as the PTI chairman.
Prior to that, Elahi formally joined the party on February 21.
The party senior vice president Chaudhary Fawad Hussain made the announcement while praising the former Punjab chief minister for remaining loyal to Khan “through thick and thin.”
Hussain also told journalists that Elahi would be appointed as PTI president, adding the decision had been made and approved by the senior party leadership.
Former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi appointed as ex-PM Khan’s party president
https://arab.news/cxbkc
Former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi appointed as ex-PM Khan’s party president
- Elahi remained Khan’s coalition partner in Punjab and dissolved the provincial assembly
- He joined the PTI last month and was praised for his loyalty toward the former premier
Pakistan dispatches special plane carrying 100 tons of tents for Gaza
- Pakistan dispatches special plane from Lahore for Egypt’s Al-Arish city for onward delivery to Gaza
- Pakistan has sent 28 relief consignments for Gaza comprising 2,727 tons of relief items in total since 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) dispatched a special plane carrying 100 tons of tents for the people of Gaza on Monday, the authority said, vowing to continue addressing Palestinians’ humanitarian needs.
This was the 28th relief consignment from Pakistan for the people of Palestine, the NDMA said, adding that it was sent with the support of Pakistani charity Alkhidmat Foundation.
The relief goods, which comprised 100 tons of tents, were dispatched via a special flight from the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore to Egypt’s Al Arish city for onward delivery to Gaza.
“With the dispatch of this latest consignment, the total volume of humanitarian assistance sent to Palestine through 28 consignments has reached 2,727 tons,” the NDMA said.
The relief goods were sent in a ceremony attended by Punjab Housing Minister Mian Bilal Yasin, senior officials of the NDMA, Pakistan’s foreign ministry and representatives of government departments as well as Alkhidmat Foundation.
“Government of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan stand firmly with the people of Palestine in this difficult time and will continue to make every possible effort to support them and address their humanitarian needs,” the NDMA’s press release concluded.
The development takes place after Israel allowed the limited reopening of the Rafah crossing with Egypt on Feb. 2. The crossing serves as the only gateway for the people of Gaza to the outside world that does not pass through Israel.
It reopened last week for the movement of people nearly two years after Israeli forces seized control of the crossing during the war with Hamas.
The reopening of Rafah has long been demanded by the United Nations and aid organizations, forming a key element of US President Donald Trump’s truce plan for Gaza, where humanitarian conditions remain dire.
Pakistan has consistently criticized Israel for its war on Gaza, which has claimed the lives of over 70,000 Palestinians, among them women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.
Islamabad is also a member of Trump’s newly constituted Board of Peace global body, which seeks to resolve the Gaza conflict and other disputes around the world.
