Islamabad, April 28 : Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) would not be influenced to give relief to the disgruntled leader of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Jahangir Tareen, in the sugar scam probe but he would personally look into the matter to avoid any political victimisation in the case.
He was talking to a delegation of some pro-Tareen lawmakers who called on him. Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar was also present in the meeting, the Dawn reported on Wednesday.
The head of the MNAs’ delegation, Raja Riaz, told media after attending the meeting that the Prime Minister had assured them that he would personally look into the case and ensure that no injustice was meted out to anyone.
“We have full confidence that the prime minister will not do injustice to anyone,” he said.
Interestingly, the Prime Minister formed a one-man committee comprising his confidant, Senator Syed Ali Zafar, to ascertain whether the delegation’s concerns that some people in the government and the PTI were politically victimising Jahangir Tareen were genuine. The decision to form the committee was made a day after media reports claimed the government had changed FIA’s sugar inquiry chief.
According to media reports, the sugar scam inquiry team’s head FIA Director for Lahore Mohammad Rizwan was removed from the investigation with immediate effect.
It may be mentioned here that Rizwan’s removal was the main demand of the former PTI Secretary General Jehangir Tareen and the lawmakers supporting him.
Information Minister Fawad Hussain Chaudhry confirmed that the Prime Minister had decided not to influence the FIA inquiry against Tareen and other sugar barons and that the case would be decided on merit.
“During the meeting, the prime minister was of the view that a party (PTI) formed in the name of justice could not allow two types of justice — one for the poor and the other for wealthy people,” he added.
“The Prime Minister said the FIA’s inquiry into the sugar scam would not be influenced at any cost. However, concerns of the MNAs will be addressed and it will be ensured that no one politically victimises Tareen,” the minister said.
He said that Khan tasked Senator Ali Zafar to present a report to him, but no timeframe was given to the committee.
When asked whether there was a possibility of the MNAs supporting Tareen joining another political party, especially Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the minister said that they would remain part of the ruling PTI.
The parliamentarians supporting Tareen have accused Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar of initiating undue action against Tareen and his son Ali Tareen by freezing their over two dozen bank accounts during the sugar scam investigations.(IANS)
