Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) should distance itself from Shehbaz Gill’s controversial remarks Talking to a private television channel, he said: “I myself gave a statement against it (Gill’s comments). I asked who are you to talk about policy? These are our honourable institutions … and a statement has been given against our army that protects our borders?” Separately, PTI leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain has expressed hope that “misunderstanding” pertaining to Gill’s case would be resolved soon. “Shahbaz Gill’s words may be inappropriate but words don’t make [any person] a traitor,” he tweeted in a response to journalist Ansar Abbasi asking whether any PTI leader had condemned Gill’s remarks that “encouraged rebellion in the army” yet. Chaudhry added that people like Gill were an “asset” to Pakistan and the army, adding that he was a “patriot”. In a subsequent tweet, he said that differences between the “country’s largest political party and the institution that ensures national security were disastrous” for Pakistan. “All-out efforts are being made for resolving misunderstandings,” he said, adding that “political parties, too, should not go too far against each other. “As a result of recent events, democracy has weakened in the country and human rights have been violated.”
