• Former Punjab CM says Sharifs always did retaliatory politics.
• Says filing false cases against political opponents was Sharif family’s habit.
• Elahi says Imran Khan told team to leave PDM talks if they find ill intentions. 

LAHORE: In an apparent U-turn on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) part, the speakers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies have moved the courts to get the legislatures restored, The News reported citing the party’s President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi said.

“KP and Punjab Assembly speakers took Imran Khan in the loop then filed petitions in the courts for restoration of assemblies,” said Elahi, who is also the former Punjab chief minister, while answering questions from media persons after attending a hearing of a case against him at a local court.

He, however, did not elaborate further on when and in which court the petitions were filed.

Berating the Sharif family, Elahi said they always did retaliatory politics. “Filing false cases against political opponents and rounding them up is their habit.”

To a question, he said the Sharifs first took illegal measures and then started negotiations, but perhaps they did not know that this was Imran Khan’s party. 

“The team holding negotiations with the PDM has been told by Imran Khan that if they find flawed intentions, they must leave the talks and return.”

To a question, he said everyone was awaiting the implementation of the Supreme Court decision on elections. The apex court had said that all politicians sit together and take a decision, otherwise, it would take a decision, he further added. 

Elahi said Imran accepted his suggestions and awarded party tickets in consultation with him.

Meanwhile, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry denied that the PTI had approached courts for restoration of the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) amid talks with the government.

In a tweet, Fawad criticised the media for irresponsible reporting, saying no TV channel bothered to fact-check the story before airing it. 

“This is the state of our media. 

Since morning, it is being reported that the [former] chief ministers of [Punjab and KP] have filed petitions to restore the provincial assemblies. But no one has any idea as to under which law the assemblies can be restored,” he wrote on Twitter.