Tareen’s new political options
FACTUALLY speaking post general election 2018 formation of Imran Khan lead PTI government had not been possible if Jahangir Tareen had gone other way around. He made impossible, possible.
It would have been impossible if the friends like Tareen had not come out to rescue Imran Khan.
For the formation of the PTI government in Punjab, KP and Centre politically inexperienced Imran Khan was unable to gather required numbers of MPAs and MNAs.
Quite diligently then Tareen achieved the task given. Since beginning being the strongest politician in PTI, Tareen has been facing serious political rivalry of Vice Chairman PTI Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Shrewd Qureshi firstly got rid of veteran Javed Hashmi and now Jahangir Tareen from Imran Khan lead PTI. Asad Umer too is seriously against Tareen. One who makes can break.
Since 2018, besides hard work of Jahangir Tareen and advantages of being on one page with Judiciary and military establishment Imran Khan could not successfully harbor the nation and PTI government to safe shore.
Today the country is politically and economically unstable. What to speak of PDM, political turmoil and serious cracks even within the PTI can clearly be seen.
After victimization of Opposition leaders, now King maker Jahangir Tareen of PTI is being trailed.
It is believed that absolute power should neither vest in the PTI government nor the opposition.
It should remain with someone else. Broken PDM gave strength to PTI and eventually Premier Imran Khan. Both empowered Opposition and ruling party don’t suit.
After attaining the objective of break-up in the PDM, cracks within the PTI were immediately necessary.
Now for future political ruling set up members brought by Tareen will gather under his umbrella again. Especially MNAs and MPAs from Southern Punjab are again in his pocket. T
areen group, Imran Khan group and Akbar S Babar group will remain part of PTI but with separate entities. New political dimensions and arrangements are being finalised. Yet new multi purpose political jigsaw is in the making.
Meeting between former President Asif Ali Zardari and disgruntled PTI leader former Secretary General of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and sugar baron Jahangir Tareen is scheduled for next week.
Facing money laundering and fraud charges in the sugar scam, Tareen is said to have been exploring other political options to stay relevant in the current scenario.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has summoned Jahangir Tareen and his son Ali Tareen in connection with the sugar scam on April 9.
Jahangir Tareen will lead a big group of MPAs of Punjab Assembly and join hands with PPP to bring real change in Punjab first.
When this happens both Prime Minister Imran Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar will be sent packing.
Jahangir Tareen has held a meeting in this regard with his relative PPP leader and former Governor Punjab Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmood of PPP.
Prior to this situation Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Asif Ali Zardari have clearly said about their political power show firstly in Punjab and then at the Centre which seems very much possible.
A constant propaganda campaign is being run against Jahangir Tareen by the government not by the opposition.
The government which is still surviving because of those gathered MNAs and MPAs post 2018 general election by Tareen himself is being trailed.
Some important political players would soon reposition themselves in the face of the PTI government’s failure on some fronts.
Jahangir Tareen, who feels betrayed by his friend Imran Khan, still has the support of a large number of MNAs, MPAs and lawmakers. I know Jahangir Tareen very well. He is carefully playing his cards.
He knows that FIA’s action against him is impossible without the approval of the Premier for whom he had spent his bucks and used his clout to bring him into power. The PTI Tareen group, PMLQ and the PPP leadership are intimating.
It is the PTI top leadership which has pushed Jahangir Tareen to explore political options other than PTI Imran Khan group.
After coming out of the opposition alliance “Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)” the PPP gets active to fancy its chances to form its government at the Centre along with PMLQ and PTI Tareen group in the future.
The PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is keen to perform well in Punjab in the next general election and for this purpose he is looking up to stalwarts like Jahangir Tareen.
Tareen took some close PTI lawmakers of his group to the court where he and his son appeared the other day. It was a clear-cut show of power on the part of Tareen.
Because of its anti-establishment stance, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz is gaining popularity in Punjab and KP.
It will win majority seats of MNAs and MPAs, but it is not on one page with the power house.
It seems that the establishment will not favour PMLN to form government in Punjab and at the Centre unless pardoned. Resultantly, Tareen lead PTI group and PPP and PMLQ will take power in hands.
This is why the electables like Raja Riaz, Ghulam Bibi Bharwana, Ghulam Lali, Mahr Aslam Bharwana, Noman Langrial, Riaz Mazari, Khawaja Sheraz, Mobeen Alam Anwar, Javed Warraich, Sami Gilani, Saman Naeem, Iftkhar Gondal, Aun Choudhry, Sajjad Warraich, Zawwar Warraich, Nazeer Baloch, Amin Choudhry, Tahir Randhawa, Nazeer Chohan, Asif Majeed, Bilal Warraich and Umer Aftab have participated in a dinner hosted by Jahangir Tareen.
All these members of National Assembly and Punjab Assembly have openly come out to stand with stalwart and King maker Jahangir Tareen.
Jahangir Tareen has shown his muscles to IK by gathering MNAs and MPAs on dinner.
In coming days on the occasions of appearance of Jahangir Tareen and Ali Tareen in courts many more MNAs and MPAs of PTI will be seen standing with Tareens.
—The writer is book ambassador, columnist, political analyst and author of several books based in Islamabad.
