On Tuesday, PPP leader Shehla Raza claimed that Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) estranged member Jehangir Tareen is scheduled to meet Asif Ali Zardari, and will likely join the party.
On the same day, Tareen denied the reports in the media and Shela Raza’s claim that any such meeting was scheduled or that he had any intentions to join PPP to oust PTI’s government in Punjab.
“Jahangir Tareen met with Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmood [PPP leader in Punjab],” Shehla Raza, former speaker Sindh Assembly, tweeted from her verified handle.
“Jahangir Tareen will meet former president Asif Ali Zardari next week in Karachi,” she further claimed in a tweet that has now been deleted.
The development comes in the backdrop of a political uncertainty for the Tareen family which was once the engineers of cementing the PTI’s government in the centre and Punjab by lobbying independant candidates from South Punjab to join the government benches. But now seem to have lost favour with the incumbent party as both, Tareen and his son, face three different FIRs registered against them by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) over allegations of fraudulently misappropriating shareholder’s money, company’s money and committing money laundering.
Special Adviser to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Interior and Accountability Shahzad Akbar had earlier commented that Tareen will be prosecuted as per law, and no one will be given an NRO.
According to credible reports within the media, Tareen had played a significant part to lobby for PPP’s senate candidate from the national assembly Yousaf Raza Gilani, a win that had jolted the government.
Despite these political ties with the PPP, Tareen denied any reports of him jumping ships. “There is no truth in reports about me meeting with PPP leaders or joining the PPP,” he said. “Those running fabricated stories against me will face disappointment.”
