Several PTI lawmakers offer support to Jahangir Tareen

Pre-arrest bail of Tareen, son extended in FIA case

LAHORE: Several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers have offered to quit the assemblies in support of party stalwart Jahangir Tareen during a meeting held at his Lahore residence on Saturday, according to a news outlet.

According to the report, more than 30 members of the national and provincial assemblies attended the gathering and discussed the roadmap ahead for the party while a majority of lawmakers offered to resign.

However, the strategy of resignations was not agreed upon unanimously for the time being by all the lawmakers. They were of the opinion that if “injustices” against Tareen continue, then the option of resignations from the assemblies must be exercised.

The report said that the lawmakers also decided to contact others from the party. It added that another meeting has been called on April 21 at the same venue to discuss Prime Minister Imran Khan’s silence over a letter sent by party members expressing dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs as well as Tareen’s court notices.

Earlier in the day, a banking court in Lahore extended until May 3 the pre-arrest bail period of Tareen and his son Ali Tareen in three cases lodged by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the sugar scam, which also carries charges of money laundering and corporate fraud.

The two appeared before the presiding judge of the special court, Ameer Muhammad Khan, as defence, Salman Safdar, told the court that the FIA had sent notices to his clients on April 14 and summoned all record of their businesses.

Safdar maintained it was not possible to submit the mammoth record on a day’s notice, particularly due to the law and order situation.

He further informed the court that Tareen and his son will appear again before the agency on April 19. At this, the court adjourned the hearing until May 3 before extending their bail periods.

Talking to reporters outside the court, Tareen said that he doesn’t know who is running the character assassination campaigns against him but he will find those responsible. In all three cases, there are no claims or allegations of inflated prices of the commodity during the period covered in the sugar inquiry committee’s report.

He recalled that he started his business decades before entering politics, adding that “baseless and false reports” were being made and spread against him. Tareen further said that there is no relation to sugar prices in the FIRs lodged against him and his son.

“I don’t know who is behind registering FIR against me,” said Tareen, who was accompanied by at least a dozen parliamentarians of PTI.

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