LAHORE: A day after reports of disgruntled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Tareen and his group of parliamentarians refusing to discuss with the government the cases against the former emerged, the ice between Prime Minister Imran Khan and his once close friend appears to be breaking.
Speaking to a private TV channel, PTI leader Raja Riaz confirmed that the two party leaders would hold a one-on-one meeting.
A report claimed on Tuesday that the sugar baron cancelled an Iftar dinner for more than a dozen PTI parliamentarians on Wednesday after receiving an assurance that the prime minister has expressed willingness to give the group an audience.
“We have been assured that the prime minister is ready to meet us. However, [I want to make it clear that] we will only meet Imran and not a governmental committee,” a local publication quoted Tareen as saying.
“During the meeting, we will present our grievances with regard to the sugar inquiry commission and the FIA’s cases [against Tareen, his family, and his JDW-Group].”
In March, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registered two cases against Tareen and his son Ali Tareen on charges of corporate fraud and money laundering.
The cases were registered under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating of public shareholders), and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) — with sections 3 and 4 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010 — on March 22.
One of the cases claims Tareen transferred Rs3.14 billion from the accounts of his JDW-Group to Faruki Pulp Mills Limited (FPML), a company said to be owned by his son and a relative. The money was then transferred to the accounts of his family members.
Likewise, the second complaint says “voluminous withdrawals amounting to at least Rs2.2 billion were fraudulently and dishonestly made through a trusted cash rider”.
Tareen had returned to Pakistan in November after ending his seven-month-long self-imposed exile after falling out with Prime Minister Imran following an inquiry into the last year’s sugar scandal that accused several sugar producers — including him — of “underreported sales and fraud”.
At the time, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar had declared sugar-producing units under Tareen’s JDW-Group were found guilty of “double billing” and “over-invoicing” as well as “corporate fraud”.
Tareen had rejected the findings of the Sugar Inquiry Commission. “I am shocked at the kind of false allegations levelled against me. I have always run a clean business. All Pakistan knows I always pay full price to my growers,” he had said in a tweet.
“I DO NOT maintain 2 sets of Books. I pay all my taxes diligently. I will answer every allegation and be vindicated IA.”
