Punjab lawmakers come out in support of Tareen

Lawmakers supporting estranged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Tareen on Saturday warned the federal government of ‘moving forward’ if justice was not delivered in the ongoing sugar scandal cases.

Tareen along with son Ali Tareen, PTI’s MNAs and MPAs reached Lahore banking court to attend their bail proceedings which later the court extended to May 3.

Speaking to the media MPA Raja Riaz said that they appeal to the prime minister for justice under the umbrella of PTI. We believe that Tareen is being humiliated through such moves, he added.

“Do not take this further,” Riaz said adding that 40 members of both houses of the Parliament were demanding justice from the premier.

On this occasion, MPA Ishaq Khan Khakwani said that today they were not seeking any relief and neither are they ‘blackmailing’ the government, but asking for more time to collect material which they would bring forward in response to the allegations.

Tareen said he had earned money in the proper manner and added he did not earn money in politics.
“He was being humiliated merely to corner him in those FIRs in which not even a single word about sugar scam has been mentioned”, he said.

“No allegation has been levelled on him in said FIRs about increasing sugar prices", but even then this matter is being attributed to him merely for the vested interests, he said.

“I will fight the legal cases and will prove my innocence in courts”, Tareen said. On a query, he said he had not visited PM Imran’s office and he does not know who is hatching conspiracies against him.

Among the MNAs and MPAs that accompanied Tareen during his appearance were Raja Riaz, Sami Gilani, Mubeen Alam, Khawaja Shiraz, Noman Langarial, Ajmal Cheema, Nazir Chauhan, Aslam Bharwana, Khurram Leghari, Umar Aftab Dahlon, Zawar Baloch, Nazir Baloch, Lala Tahir Randhawa, Abdul Hai Dasti, Faisal Jabwana, Rafaqat Gilani, Amir Muhammad Khan, Aun Chaudhry and Imran Shah.

Read more: Senior PTI leaders play down Jahangir Tareen’s power show

On April 12, The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) sought record from Jahangir Tareen regarding his farmlands, machinery and overseas properties.

The investigation agency has given him till April 13 to file the document.

According to Express, the FIA ​​ sent an eight-point questionnaire to the estranged PTI leader in which he was directed to provide answers regarding the property, which the investigative body had sought from August 2020.

The FIA said Tareen can submit the answers by appearing in person or through the company secretary. Tareen promised to answer these questions on April 16.

On April 10, it was reported that Tareen had hosted a number of federal and provincial lawmakers at a dinner at his residence in Lahore.

PTI leaders expressed the former secretary-general of the party was not a threat to the government and the participation of the MNAs and the MPAs in the dinner was “no big deal”.