Punjab govt to blame for formation of ‘like minded group’: Tareen

Ag Agencies

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Tareen has held the Punjab government’s “revenge” actions responsible for the formation of a “like-minded group” of party lawmakers who have been publicly supporting him.

Tareen made the remarks to reporters on Wednesday where he and his son, Ali, secured an extension in their interim bail until May 31 from two courts in three cases registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The PTI leader insisted that his supporters were not a “forward bloc” and that he was still a part of the PTI while party bigwigs like Asad Umar, Fawad Choudhry, Ali Zaidi, Hammad Azhar and Shibli Faraz were among several members who professed their loyalty toward Prime Minister Imran Khan on Twitter with a singular message: “I stand with Imran Khan.” Tareen was accompanied by his supporters, who include Punjab government ministers and other lawmakers of the PTI. According to Geo News, Tareen said his more than 30 supporters were standing with him against the “fake” criminal complaints against him.

The PTI leader said there was “another issue” that needed to be addressed. He said: “Khan Sahab is an honourable man and I believe he is just. However, the Punjab government has begun a vendetta against members of my group.”

Tareen accused the Punjab government of transferring those that were supporting him, “left, right and centre”, and were putting pressure on them. The PTI leader also said the pro-Tareen group had, as a result, decided to “raise their voices against this in the Punjab Assembly”. Tareen said his backers had decided to nominate MPA Saeed Akbar Niwani to “lead the discussions” against the alleged revenge tactics of the Punjab government in the assembly. He urged the Punjab government to “stop with their actions”, adding that his backers were “your MPAs and you [Buzdar] became the chief minister by their votes”.

When a reporter asked Tareen that some lawmakers of his group had said they would not let the Punjab government pass its budget, he responded: “It is every individual’s right to express his or her opinion. The group will take decisions [taking into account everyone’s opinions],” he added.

The FIA had registered a total of three cases against Tareen, his son Ali Tareen, and others under charges of money laundering, misappropriation of shareholders’ money and fraud in the sugar scam.

Two FIRs were registered under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating of public shareholders) and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), read with sections ¾ of the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

In the third case, it was alleged that accused Tareen fraudulently misappropriated money of shareholders after his company (JDW group) transferred Rs3.14 billion to an associated private company identified as Farooqi Pulp Private Limited (FPML). The FIR claims the private company is owned by his sons and close relatives.