Gave blood, sweat to consolidate PTI’s sway in Punjab: Tareen

Disgruntled leader of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday once again lashed out at “certain elements” entangling him in a “conspiracy”, regretting that he was being pushed away from Prime Minister Khan.

Speaking in a corner meeting here, Tareen said that despite serving day and night to cement the ruling party’s sway in Punjab during its nascent days in the province, he was being cornered.

"When the prime minister found out that the party fell short of some crucial seats in Punjab and had fewer seats than PML-N, I gave my “blood and sweat to consolidate PTI's power in the province,” he said, claiming that his political shrewdness provided vital help to the party.

“I worked day and night and found him more electables when he told me that a government in the federation was of no use if it lacked power in Punjab,” the estranged leader said.

“Six months before the election, I was disqualified on false charges, yet I did not leave Imran Khan. I and my son remained undeterred and did not part ways with the PTI,” he said, adding he will continue to work hard.

Without naming anyone in particular, Tareen alleged that when the PTI was finally able to form its government in the centre, certain elements began exacting revenge on him. “When they finally succeeded in pushing me away from the prime minister, they did not stop there. They were aware that my presence within the party would pose a serious threat to them. Therefore, they intensified their attacks on me to completely end my political career.”

Read More: Tareen bloc and PTI

“The kind of persecution they have been meting out to me for the last one and half year is unprecedented in the country’s history,” he added.

The disgruntled leader went on to say that though he has remained undeterred in the face of “persecution”, the burgeoning pressure has led some members of his faction into backpedalling into the folds of the "other camp".

Citing further grounds for the formation of his own faction, Tareen asserted that the sole purpose of his politics was to serve the people.

A day earlier, the PTI leader had slammed the government for downplaying the severity of the ongoing inflation, and asked it to "keep everything aside" and focus on reducing inflation.

Tareen said the government’s failure to bring the price surge under control and orient its goals around giving relief to the people was now troubling the masses, adding that timely decisions could have averted the situation.