Tareen says has backing of 40 MPs, insists on meeting Premier only

Ag Agencies

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Tareen on Thursday claimed he has the support of 40 ruling party lawmakers as he insisted on meeting Prime Minister Imran Khan only — not any committee.

According to Geo News, Tareen, speaking to reporters outside a sessions court, said his group would only meet Prime Minister Imran Khan and accused the PTI of treating him worse than the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.

“When I stood with Imran Khan, the PML-N investigated my business and sent me notices,” said Tareen. “But what they [PTI government] did was not even done by the PML-N. A civil case has been turned into a criminal one,” Tareen added.

To a question about a committee formed to address his grievances, Tareen said he had heard about it on TV, though no one had contacted him. “I have said that we will not meet any committee, we will only meet Prime Minister Imran Khan,” said Tareen.

“Relations between me and Imran Khan are longstanding and it is such a relationship which should not be weakened. I and Imran Khan have waged struggle jointly. I had invited my friends to Iftar party. A day before some friends from Islamabad contacted me and assured me that a meeting of my group will take place with PM within some days.

Meanwhile, a sessions court extended Tareen and his son Ali’s interim bail till May 3 in two cases registered by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Earlier, the two, along with their counsel appeared before Additional District and Sessions Judge Hamid Hussain on the expiry of their interim bail. The counsel for the petitioners argued that his clients had also obtained interim bail from a banking offence court in a connected case.

He submitted that the FIA had objected to the jurisdiction of the banking court and the matter was fixed for May 3, adding that it remained to be seen whether the application pending before the banking court would go to the sessions court.

He said investigations were being conducted on charges of money laundering and his clients were cooperating with the investigations. He said if the other case was also transferred to the Sessions Court, he would argue both cases together.

The investigation officer said investigations were under way, whereas the inquiry report was secret and could not be disclosed. The court adjourned the further hearing till May 3 and directed the officer for submitting the inquiry report at the next date of hearing. The court also extended the interim bail of Tareen and Ali Tareen.

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