Tareen dispels reports of split in PTI, says there’s no forward bloc

Estranged Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader -ahangir Tareen dispelled on Wednesday reports of a split in the ruling party, even as he maintained that PTI lawmakers from his group” would be raising their voices in the Punjab Assembly against what he called acts of revenge” by the provincial government.Tareen, who was addressing media persons outside the /ahore High Court (/HC), stressed that there was no forward bloc in the PTI, but admitted that the group he was part of had existed within the party for the past three months. [But] I am openly telling you that we all are part of the PTI and will remain so,” he asserted.

Tareen, however, alleged that the Punjab government had been exacting revenge from the members of the group, using different pressure tactics such as transfers.

We have decided to raise voice against it in the Punjab Assembly and have nominated 6ardar 6aeed Akbar .han 1iwani to lead this discussion in the assembly as our representative,” he added.

ecalling that Prime Minister Imran .han had met the group and assured them that justice would be served and no revenge would be exacted, Tareen expressed confidence in the premier’s assurance.

But the Punjab government also needs to stop [unjustified] action against our group and address our concerns,” Tareen said, reiterating that they would raise the issue in the provincial assembly as it was their constitutional right. Tareen reiterated that there was no forward block in the PTI.

eports of a split in the ruling party surfaced after Tareen, once a close friend to Prime Minister Imran .han, announced on Tuesday the parliamentary leaders of his group” both in the 1ational and the Punjab assemblies.The announcement came at a dinner hosted by Tareen at his residence where, according to aja iaz, a member of the 1ational i l Assembly bl from f Faisalabad, i lbdf four more M1As and as many MPAs had joined the group. This, aja iaz claimed, had brought the total strength of the group close to 40. Tareen had named iaz the group’s parliamentary leader in the 1ational Assembly, and 1iwani in the Punjab Assembly. S. Dawn . Punjab govt taking revenge against my supporters

He accused the Punjab government of transferring officers of the ministers that were loyal to Tareen, left, right and centre”, and were putting pressure on them.

The estranged PTI leader said the pro-Tareen group had, as a result, decided to raise their voices against this in the Punjab Assembly”. Tareen said members of his group had decided to nominate MPA 6aeed Akbar 1iwani to lead the discussions” against the alleged revenge tactics of the Punjab government, in the assembly. He blamed the media for making a huge deal about the news. He urged the Punjab government to stop with their actions”, adding that the lawmakers who are part of the Tareen group are your MPAs and you [Buzdar] became the chief minister by their votes”.In response to a question, Tareen said the Punjab government had taken revenge from members of his group in other matters as well but he would rather not go into details of it.