Disgruntled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Khan Tareen has said that his loyalty to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan was being tested, but he is not parting ways with the ruling party.
Speaking to the media after he arrived at a banking court to attend his bail hearing, he was reacting to claims by Shehla Raza of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
Raza had a day earlier claimed that Tareen was soon joining the PPP.
“Not one, not two but three FIRs have been registered against me,” he said on Wednesday. “Out of the 80 sugar mill owners, all they could see was Jahangir Tareen,” he said, questioning why he was being subjected to “revenge”.
The PTI leader said his “loyalty was being tested”. He added that an inquiry against him, relating to the sugar crisis, has been going on for the last year.
He lamented that his accounts as well as those belonging to his son, Ali Tareen, had been frozen. “Why have my accounts been frozen? Who is doing this? Who benefits from this?” he asked. Tareen said he was “asking for justice from (PTI) [League of Justice]”, adding that he was a friend, but being “pushed towards enmity”.
In response to a question, Tareen said it was time to expose those involved in a conspiracy against him. He said PM Imran could expose the person who was hell-bent on exacting revenge against him.
Despite his grievances against the ruling party, Tareen said he was not parting ways with the PTI. “I am a member of the PTI and will remain so,” he said.
When a reporter asked Tareen whether he was about to meet former president and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari, he said the reports were baseless.
