PTI lawmakers complain to PM about advisor Shahzad Akbar

A group of lawmakers from the ruling party, who have extended their support to party stalwart Jahangir Khan Tareen, met with Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday and expressed their reservations against the prime minister’s aide on accountability Shahzad Akbar.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, PTI’s MNA from Faisalabad Raja Riaz said that the prime minister has assured the group that he is "personally monitoring" the inquiry against Tareen and will see to it that justice is served.

"We met the prime minister in a very cordial atmosphere,” Riaz told reporters, “He has assured us that justice will be served. The prime minister said there is no question of such treatment being meted out to anyone.”

When asked what was discussed regarding advisor Shahzad Akbar, Riaz said that the group shared their reservations, after which "the prime minister said he will not allow injustice to be done with anyone and that we should leave it to him and he will take responsibility.”

Riaz clarified that the prime minister has not "acknowledged" that Akbar has meted out "unfair treatment" to Tareen, but the group has simply shared their concerns and the premier has assured them of looking into them. These include the removal of Akbar's involvement in the probe into Tareen’s case and the formation of a judicial commission.

The PTI MNA claimed that the prime minister said: "You are all my allies. Even those who are opposed to me, I wish to tell them, no one will be treated unfairly and justice will be done."

Riaz said the group thanked the premier for his assurances. "We have full confidence in our captain and our prime minister and InshaAllah we will secure justice," he added.

Probe report likely to be ready in a fortnight: PTI leader

Ishaq Khan Khakwani, a senior member of the ruling party, told Geo.tv on Wednesday that over 30 MNAs and MPAs of the PTI met the prime minister on Tuesday.

“During the meeting a complaint was launched against Shahzad Akbar,” Khakwani, who was at the meeting, said. “The parliamentarians complained that he [Akbar] is going beyond his mandate. He is using his influence as the de facto interior minister by using the FIA against Tareen and his family.”

The PTI leader added that the parliamentarians at the meeting asked the prime minister to remove Shahzad Akbar from the case [involving Tareen].

For now, the prime minister promised the PTI lawmakers that he will constitute a commission, headed by Senator Syed Ali Zafar, to probe the case and prepare a report.

“The prime minister said himself that I will ask Zafar to investigate the facts of the case. He said that the facts he has so far were given to him by these people,” Khakwani said.

The PTI leader added that he is under the impression that Zafar’s report will be presented to the prime minister within a fortnight.

The Tareen case

The Federal Investigation Agency has been tasked with probing the sugar crisis that began last year and is looking into the JDW Sugar Mills owned by Jahangir Tareen.

Earlier this month, Shahzad Akbar brushed aside allegations of selective application of law against Tareen or others and said that all are equal before the law.

He said neither was anyone being targeted nor spared in the sugar scam inquiries. "The task of accountability is not easy, you cannot make friends in the process."

Akbar said that in the context of the Sugar Inquiry Commission's report and orders by the cabinet, institutions were carrying out their assignments and this had nothing to do with whether a sugar mill belongs to a person from the treasury or the opposition or the general public.