LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday hailed the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan’s judgment regarding party chief Imran Khan, while the decision about the PTI Secretary General Jehangir Khan Tareen has sent a wave of unhappiness inside the party circles.
PTI leader and opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Mian Mehmoodur Rashid expressed displeasure over disqualification of Jehangir Tareen. “It is not fair to compare Jehangir Tareen with the Panama mafia. The PTI would continue fighting Tareen’s case in the court of law,” he said. He hailed the SC judgment regarding Imran Khan and said, “Now the Supreme Court has admitted that our leader is both sadiq and amin (truthful and honest), a fact which was already admitted by the entire nation.”
PTI leader Yasmin Rashid said she was saddened over the SC decision pertaining to Tareen’s disqualification. “Jehangir Tareen is the biggest taxpayer of the country. He should not have been disqualified by the Supreme Court,” she said. The PTI would not abandon Jehangir Tareen and would fight his case in the courts,” she added. She however said that her party accepted the Supreme Court’s decision. She also hailed the apex court’s decision about Imran Khan and said it was the victory of 210 million Pakistanis who had placed their hope in the PTI chief.
“Imran Khan has been proved to be an upright and honest person by the Supreme Court, unlike PML-N chief and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif,” she said.
PTI leader Ijaz Chaudhry also showed unhappiness over Jehangir Tareen’s disqualification, but showed satisfaction over the apex court’s order which proved that Imran Khan was a truthful and sincere leader.
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi’s petition seeking Imran Khan’s disqualification but the apex court did disqualify Jahangir Tareen for life.
The SC found Jahangir Tareen to be dishonest under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution and Section 99 of Representation of People Act (ROPA), and directed the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) to take action against him for being involved in insider trading.
Article 62(1)(f) — which sets the precondition for the head of the government to be sadiq and ameen — had provided the grounds for the disqualification of former premier Nawaz Sharif from holding public office in the July 28 judgment over the Panama Papers case.
In the written judgement, Chief Justice Saqib Nisar said that Tareen also committed the offence of insider trading in terms of Section 15-B of the Ordinance (ibid).
According to the SC judgment, Tareen purchased shares in the name of his driver and cook, namely Haji Khan and Allah Yar, thus violating the provisions of Section 15-A of the Ordinance, 1969, the Ordinance, 1984, and other laws on the subject.
