In an apparent U-turn, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Nazir Chohan on Wednesday abandoned Jahangir Tareen Khan, whose group he was active in, and apologised to Adviser to Prime Minister on Accountability & Interior Mirza Shahzad Akbar.
Addressing the media in Lahore alongside Punjab Minister for Prisons Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, Nazir said that he no longer has “any association with the Tareen group”.
“Jahangir Tareen used me for his case and then threw me away,” he said.
The PTI leader said that he was “never once called” by Tareen in his hour of need, whereas he went to every court summons of Tareen’s.
“I considered him my leader, but he is not fit to be called one,” Nazir said of Tareen.
Nazir expressed his gratitude to the senior PTI leadership, naming Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Akbar in particular.
“I am grateful to Chaudhry Pervez Elahi who took a strong stance for me,” he said, adding: “Shahzad Akbar was the first to call me when I fell ill and inquired about my health.”
“I have apologised to Shahzad Akbar in no unclear terms. I am remorseful over my actions which affected him and his family,” he said.
Nazir went on to state that he has “one leader, and one leader alone”. “His name is Imran Khan.”
He said that Tareen “should be ashamed of himself for not even bothering to visit” him in the hospital.
The PTI member said that in this entire saga, “the faces of a lot of hypocrites have been exposed”.
Fayyazul Hasan Chohan, for his part, acknowledged that conflict within the party had been brewing for a while but that the disgruntled party members took the senior party leadership into confidence over their concerns.
“Shahzad Akbar played a positive role in assisting mediation efforts,” he said, adding: “Nazir Chohan also played a vital role in this regard.”
“We have no right to object to anyone’s faith and probe such matters,” he added.
Earlier in the day, a district and sessions court in Lahore on Wednesday accepted the bail request of the PTI legislator from Punjab.
Nazir was booked in May on the complaint of Akbar who accused the former of levelling allegations concerning his faith during a television programme.
Subsequently, the police arrested him last Tuesday but released him the following day after he secured bail, only to arrest him again moments after under cyber laws.
Through its order, the court has also directed to release of the suspect after the submission of surety bonds of Rs100,000.
The court accepted Nazir’s application after submission of a declaration of settlement by Akbar who announced to forgive the lawmaker for questioning his faith.
The cybercrime wing of the agency had booked Nazir on Akbar’s complaint under sections 11 and 20 of Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, and read with 298, 500, 505(C), 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code and 29 of the Telegraph Act, 1885.
He and some others are accused of running “malicious and hate speech” campaigns against Akbar on social media platforms. Nazir had raised questions about the faith of Akbar.
