ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has met with a group of disgruntled PTI lawmakers, who have rallied around the ruling party’s beleaguered former secretary-general Jahangir Tareen, and assured them of an impartial prone into the sugar scandal.
The 33 disgruntled PTI lawmakers included 11 National Assembly members (MNAs), including Minister for State and Frontier Regions Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan met PM Imran in Islamabad on Tuesday.
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 lawmakers from the Punjab Assembly (MPAs) are also part of the group that is now tagged as the PTI’s “Hum Khayal” Group.
According to sources, during the meeting with PM Imran, lawmakers requested the prime minister to remove Shehzad Akbar and his team from the investigation and hold a fresh inquiry in the case.
Sources said the lawmakers complained that Shehzad Akbar was targeting Tareen and was making up false cases against him. Speaking to the lawmakers, Imran Khan stressed that no society could progress unless it upheld the law and the Constitution.
The premier further said that though Jahangir Tareen was a dear friend, questions had to be asked on the sudden hike in sugar prices. He assured his party leaders of an unbiased inquiry into the case.
Speaking to the media after their meeting, PTI MNA Raja Riaz said it was held in a very cordial atmosphere and that PM Imran had assured them that justice will be done in every condition.
The prime minister had sought time to look into their concerns that Tareen was being victimized, promising that “all requirements of justice will be met, he added.
To a question, Riaz said he had also apprised Imran Khan of their reservations regarding the role of Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Interior and Accountability Shahzad Akbar in the sugar scam probe.
The lawmaker clarified that the premier had not admitted that any injustice had been done as part of the investigation, however, promised to look into their concerns. No timeframe has been given regarding addressing the reservations, Riaz added.
Another lawmaker part of the ‘rebel’ PTI group said they had asked the prime minister to separate Akbar from the probe and form a neutral team to look into Tareen’s case. He added that Imran had promised to personally monitor the matter and assured them of justice.
Tareen was once considered a close friend of Prime Minister Imran Khan. However, the PTI’s former secretary-general 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.
Last week, the PTI lawmakers backing Tareen refused to hold a meeting with a committee formed in this regard, insisting they wanted the prime minister himself to listen to their reservations. “Imran Khan is our captain, and we will present our grievances only in front of him,” the lawmakers said.
