The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Monday appeared divided over the issue of disqualified party leader Jahangir Tareen attending official meetings.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a press conference in Lahore that Tareen’s presence in official meetings gives the opposition something to talk about. “I will ask Tareen to think … whenever you sit in official meetings Marriyum Aurangzeb gets a chance to hold press conferences,” he remarked. “The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) raises questions that whether this is contempt of court. When 62(1)(f) is imposed on Nawaz Sharif, we say he cannot hold any government or party position. If 62(1)(f) is imposed on us, should it have a separate yardstick? The Tehreek-e-Insaf worker is mentally unable to accept this and you [Tareen] are giving an opportunity to opponents of Tehreek-e-Insaf to exploit this,” the foreign minister said.
According to Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Tareen was disrespecting the present Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Asif Saeed Khosa who at the time is heading the bench which disqualified the PTI leader. “You [Tareen] had the right to an appeal which was not accepted by the court.” Qureshi requested that Tareen should offer advice while remaining in the background. “When you [Tareen] come and preside over meetings, objections are raised. The same officers and ministers come out and talk,” he said, adding that Tareen should voluntarily help this situation but refrain from those exercises which will lead to fingers being raised at the party.
However, in a strong response to Qureshi’s remarks, Tareen said no one can stop him from serving the country. “Serving Pakistan is my right. No one including Shah Mehmood Qureshi can take this right away from me,” he posted on his Twitter handle. “Wherever I go, I go as per the wishes of Prime Minister Imran Khan. I am answerable to only Prime Minister Imran Khan in political matters,” he continued. “There’s only one man in my life whom I consider my leader & to whom I’m answerable. His name is Imran Khan. I’ve stood by his side through thick and thin and will continue to do so till my last breath, IA. What others may say for their own strange reasons does not concern me,” he tweeted.
Several other PTI leaders also came to Tareen’s defence.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry tweeted that Tareen has played a major role in PTI’s election win. “His [Tareen’s] attendance in cabinet meetings is the wish of the prime minister. Senior leadership should respect the prime minister’s wishes. The court decision against him [Tareen] was unfortunate and he has been barred from elections, not from the heart of PTI workers,” he tweeted.
Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda defended Tareen, saying that the PTI leader sits in official meetings on the insistence of cabinet members. “JKT sits in official meetings on the insistence of cabinet members including myself. He has selflessly done a lot for the party, we respect him as a senior colleague &learn from his expertise. Nobody in the party can DICTATE us, PM is our leader & we take instructions from him only,” he tweeted.
Tareen was disqualified by the Supreme Court in December 2017 for mis-declaration under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution – the same provision under which former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was held ineligible for life to hold any public office over the Panama Papers leaks case.
Earlier this month, Tareen briefed a federal cabinet meeting which led to a strong reaction from the PML-N. “Isn’t it contempt of court that a person sentenced by the court is sitting in a cabinet meeting?” former information minister Maryam Aurangzeb had questioned.