Kakar, Abbasi ‘spar over wheat scandal’

Former caretaker prime minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi had a heated exchange, during which the former issued warned that if he were to “spill the beans about Form-47, the party would have nowhere to hide”.

According to people privy to the incident, sparks allegedly flew between the two politicians over the wheat scandal at a private hotel.

Abbasi was confronted for pinning the blame for the wheat scandal on Kakar’s tenure as caretaker premier during an interview with a news channel.

“Kakar asked Abbasi if he was there to collar him, to which Abbasi shot back and said that he was merely speaking the truth in the TV programme,” the sources said.

According to the sources, Kakar upped the ante by hinting at dropping a bombshell regarding Form-47, insinuating that it "would leave the PML-N red-faced".

Kakar hinted at possible tampering in Form-47 while speaking to Abbasi, a veiled reference to allegations also made by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), whose candidates allege rigging in the Feb 8 general elections.

However, Kakar later clarified that his remarks were taken out of context in the media, stating that he merely corrected Abbasi's erroneous statements regarding the caretaker government's handling of the wheat procurement

Brushing off rumours of bad blood, Kakar said he had amicable relations with Abbasi, adding that he even had a phone conversation with him after the alleged incident of the fight.

He stressed that Abbasi remains his colleague in parliament while firmly denying any truth to speculations of a bitter altercation.