Qureshi objects to Tareen’s presence in official meetings

LAHORE: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Monday Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Tareen’s presence in official meetings gave the opposition something to talk about.

Responding to a question at a news conference here, Qureshi criticised Tareen’s attendance in government and PTI meetings. “I will ask Tareen to think…whenever you sit in official meetings, Marriyum Aurangzeb (of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) gets a chance to hold press conferences,” he remarked. “The PML-N raises questions as to whether this constitutes contempt of court. When Article 62 (1)(f) is imposed on Nawaz Sharif we say he cannot hold any government or party position. If same Article is imposed on us, should it have a separate yardstick? The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker is mentally unable to accept this and you [Tareen] are giving an opportunity to opponents of PTI to exploit this,” the foreign minister added.

Qureshi also said Tareen was disrespecting present Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa who at the time was heading the bench which disqualified the PTI leader. “You [Tareen] had the right to an appeal which was not accepted by the court,” he said.

The foreign minister requested that Tareen should offer advice while remaining in the background, saying: “When you [Tareen] come and preside over meetings, objections are raised…And the same officers and ministers come out and talk”. The minister said Tareen should voluntarily help out in this situation and refrain from such exercises which would lead to fingers being raised at the party.

Speaking on the issue of renaming the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), the minister said it will not be a “politically correct” decision and will be equivalent to making a non-issue an issue. “Changing its name will not be politically correct. The issue is not of the programme’s name but work and renaming it will be equivalent to making an issue out of a non-issue,” he remarked.

“Pakistan Peoples Party’s future cannot be seen in Punjab and ahead of the elections, no one expects the party to form government in the province,” he said, adding: “What Bilawal is about to do will cause damage. PPP cannot be successful without getting rid of its declining faces.”

Responding to Foreign Minister Qureshi’s remarks, PTI leader Tareen said no one can stop him from serving Pakistan. “Serving Pakistan is my right. No one including Shah Mehmood Qureshi can take that right away from me. Wherever I go, I go [as per] the wishes of Prime Minister Imran Khan. I am answerable to only Prime Minister Imran Khan in political matters,” Tareen said in a tweet.

Tareen added he only considered Khan as his leader and he had stood by his side through thick and thin and would continue to do so. “What others may say for their own strange reasons does not concern me,” he said.