Tareen to continue as secretary general

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to file a review petition in the Supreme Court against disqualification of Jahangir Tareen, saying two allegations were rejected by the apex court while he was disqualified on technical ground. PTI Spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said that two allegations against Tareen were rejected by the apex court while the third based on which he was disqualified was technical, which the party will once challenge in the apex court in its review petition.
He said that with the verdict of the apex court, it has been proved that the allegations against Imran Khan and Jahangir Kahn Tareen were mala fide and there was no truth in whatever the PML-N has been saying against the party leadership. "The court decision was 99 percent in our favour while only one percent was against us, for which we will file a review petition," he added. He said that the allegation of money laundering, insider trading and corruption allegations against Tareen were rejected by the apex court.
"We are optimistic that in the review petition, which will be filed soon, the apex court will look into the matter," he crossed his fingers. He said that the party is obviously disappointed by court's verdict against Tareen but he will continue as party secretary general. To a question, he said that PTI Chairman Imran Khan has asked Tareen to continue as party secretary general.
He called upon the apex court to take notice against the Hanif Abbasi of PML-N, who was the petitioner in the case, for misleading and wasting the precious time of the apex court. Though there is no bar on Tareen to continue as party secretary general after amendment in the Political Parties Order (PPO), there are reports that Asad Umar may replace Tareen as new secretary general of the party.
The government ended the bar on the disqualified man from holding any office in a party through amendment in PPO in order to pave way for Nawaz Sharif to be elected as PML-N president in the wake of his disqualification in the historic Panama Papers case.
Among the new laws introduced was an amendment to Section 5 of the PPO. The amendment allows every citizen who is not a government servant to form a political party or hold any office of a political party. Introduced during Musharraf's era, PPO Section 5 (1) says that every citizen, not being in the service of Pakistan, has the right to form or be a member of a political party or be otherwise associated with a political party or take part in political activities or be elected as an office-bearer of a political party.