ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday met with a group of 33 disgruntled PTI lawmakers – who have rallied around party’s beleaguered former secretary general Jahangir Khan Tareen – and assured them of an unbiased probe into sugar scandal.
The sources privy to the meeting told Business Recorder that during the meeting with the prime minister, the lawmakers requested him to sack Shehzad Akbar – adviser to the prime minister on accountability – and his team from the investigation and hold a fresh inquiry in the case.
They said that the prime minister was also informed that principal secretary to the PM Azam Khan is also “involved in manipulating things against Tareen”, which he had openly expressed on numerous occasions.
Hinting of personal vendetta against Tareen, the lawmakers said Shehzad Akbar was targeting Tareen and was making up false cases against him, which needs to be looked into.
Some lawmakers, according to sources, also suggested the prime minister to take stern action against Akbar if he is found involved in implicating false cases against Tareen as it’s not only damaged his reputation but also a disservice to the party.
Talking to the lawmakers, the prime minister stressed that no society could progress unless it upheld the law and the constitution.
He further said that though Jahangir Tareen was a ‘dear friend’, but questions had to be asked on the sudden hike in sugar prices.
He assured his party leaders of an unbiased inquiry into the case, adding if corruption cases against party leaders are buried under the carpet, taking forward the accountability process would be difficult.
Talking to the media after the meeting with the prime minister, PTI MNA Raja Riaz who was leading the group said PM Khan has assured the group that he is “personally monitoring the inquiry against JKT and justice will be served”.
He said the prime minister has asked for some time and justice would be served.
When asked what was discussed regarding Akbar, he told that the group shared their reservations, after which the prime minister said he would not allow injustice to be done with anyone and that we should leave it to him and he takes responsibility".
“He [PM] is our leader and we’ve full confidence in him,” he added.
Tareen was once considered a close aide of the prime minister, but he was side-lined after an inquiry report about a sugar crisis accused him of benefiting from a steep hike in prices of the commodity in January 2020.
Earlier, a meeting of the disgruntled lawmakers was held at the residence of Jahangir Tareen.
The 33 disgruntled PTI lawmakers include 11 National Assembly members (MNAs), including Minister for State and Frontier Regions Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan.
The MNAs include Raja Riaz, Sami Gillani, Riaz Mazari, Khwaja Sheeraz, Mobeen Alam Anwar, Javed Waraich, Ghulam Lali, Ghulam Bibi Bharwana, Faizul Hassan Shah and Sahibzada Ameer Sultan.
A total of 22 ruling party members of Punjab Assembly were also part of the group which has openly come out in support of Traeen, warning any injustice with Tareen would not be tolerated. These include two provincial ministers – Nauman Langrial and Ajmal Cheema and four provincial advisers – Abdul Hai Dasti, Ameer Khan, Rafaqat Gillani and Faisal Jabuwana.
Other MPAs are Khurran Laghari, Aslam Bharwana, Nazir Chohan, Asif Majeed, Bilal Waraich, Umar Aftab, Tahir Randawa, Zawar Waraich, Nazir Baloch, Umer Tanveer Butt, Amin Chaudry, Chaudhary Iftikhar Gondal, Ghulam Rasool Sangha, Qasim Langah, Saeed Akbar Niwani and Salman Naeem.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021