Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Usman Buzdar has reportedly ordered to cancel the first ‘Overseas Global Convention’ of nearly 1,000 overseas Pakistanis living around the world, reports Murtaza Ali Shah for Geo News.
The media outlet report states that CM Punjab has said that affairs related to the event were being used for the projection of a “few groups” and that many who had travelled to Pakistan were considered close to Governor Punjab Muhammad Sarwar.
“The Punjab Chief Minister gets intelligence reports from various sources. Evidence was shown to him that many people who were invited as main guests of the event defamed Buzdar in WhatsApp groups and social media,” revealed the source.
“They belong to a particular group which doesn’t align ideologically with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and criticises Usman Buzdar’s policies, who has the full trust of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan. The governor’s remarks in London about the International Monetary Fund (IMF) taking over Pakistan have not gone down well with the power circles.”
However, according to the organisers, the convention which has cost tens of thousands of dollars was cancelled due to “security reasons”. On the contrary, a source close to Governor Punjab has rejected the allegations that the event is not an initiative of the Governor House and said, “The Governor House is one of the most secure places in the country, we have no idea what the security issue was. A dinner event at the Governor House will be organised for those who have travelled to Pakistan from overseas as the convention has been cancelled.”
PM Khan’s involvement:
According to the details in the report, PM Khan had accepted the invitation by the Overseas Pakistani Commission Punjab Vice Chairman Syed Makhdoom Tariq Ul Hassan. The premier was also expected to address the convention.
Upon asking, whether PM Khan was aware or not that the convention had been cancelled at the last minute, the Punjab government source said that the CM takes decisions on his own and later takes the premier into confidence when needed.
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