ATM out of order: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: Reacting to the disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MNA Jehangir Tareen by the Supreme Court, Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Friday tweeted, “ATM out of Order. #Tareen out.”

PPP Information Secretary Chaudhry Manzoor Friday questioned how one person was disqualified for hiding assets and the other was declared qualified on same allegations.

“Nawaz Sharif was disqualified for hiding assets, while Imran Khan was declared qualified on same allegations,” he said. Manzoor said Imran Khan had admitted establishing Niazi Service Limited (NSL) for tax evasion but he was not disqualified. “The number one of the PTI was saved, while number two was nabbed while number 1 of the PML-N was disqualified but number two position in the party was saved through the Hudaibya case verdict,” he said. He also remarked that with the decision not only the engine went out of order, but also the ATM was closed.

Pakistan People’s Party senior leader Saeed Ghani said the SC verdict had proved that PTI was not a party of angels. Saeed Ghani tweeted, "After today's verdict, if nothing else, Imran Khan has lost the right to say that the PTI is a party of angels.

His Secretary General Jahangir Tareen is a Supreme Court certified corrupt and disqualified man."

Meanwhile, PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry said party Chairman Imran Khan had directed Jahangir Tareen to continue performing duties as the secretary general.

Talking to media persons, Fawad said the SC verdict had saddened him adding that the apex court should take decisions on the basis of merit rather than ‘creating a balance’. “Tareen fell victim to the effort to create proportion between things,” Fawad remarked. He claimed that the petitioner, Hanif Abbasi, had lied to the apex court and the matter should be pursued.

Directing his guns at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the PTI leader said half of the party leaders had fled to London, while the rest were going to follow suit shortly.

Fawad said while Tareen had been disqualified on technical grounds in one of the three charges against him and he would be filing a review petition.

He explained the point under which Tareen was disqualified was a technical one.

“We will go for a review petition; the decision is 99 per cent in favour of PTI and 1 per cent against. Overall, the judgment has vindicated our stance," he claimed. Fawad pointed out that Tareen had declared his property details in his sons’ accounts but did not declare them in the nomination papers.