Former Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Parvez Elahi on Tuesday joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) minutes after Chaudhry Shujaat terminated the party membership of the ex-Punjab chief minister and removed him from his post as provincial president as well.

The announcement — which came minutes after Elahi met PTI Chairman Imran Khan —  further deepens the political temperature in the country of the general elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The former Punjab chief executive has time and again proved his loyalty to Khan as he vowed to stand by the disposed prime minister, who was removed from power in April last year when the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) initiated a no-confidence drive against the PTI chief.

“After lengthy discussions, Parvez Elahi and other leaders have finally decided to join PTI today,” PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said during a press conference alongside Elahi in Lahore after the ex-Punjab CM’s meeting with Khan.

Elahi sacked

In a statement earlier about sacking Elahi, Shujaat said that the former Punjab chief minister “is banned from using PML-Q’s name in the future”.

The party’s president had earlier issued a show-cause notice to Elahi on January 16, suspending his membership for talking about the possibility of his party’s possible merger with the PTI.

The notice mentioned that Shujaat called an urgent meeting of the senior leaders, where it was noted that the provincial president — Elahi — did not have the authority to merge the party with PTI.

He was also sent a notice for summoning the party’s non-constitutional meeting in Lahore on January 26. Positions of people appointed in the party by the former chief minister have also been withdrawn.

“Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and his aides/companions/followers could leave Q league to join PTI,” a senior leader of the party, Chaudhry Shafay Hussain, said.

He added that members elected on PML-Q’s seats could resign and leave the party. “Parvez Elahi has no right to merge PML-Q with PTI.”