PTI leader Asad Umar on Monday denied contact with Jahangir Khan Taleen, a close aide to PTI leader Imran Khan before he led a dissident group within the party.
The PTI leader, who resigned from the party’s post on May 24 but had not fully resigned from the party, spoke outside a courtroom in Islamabad on May 9 when he appeared in a lawsuit over violent protests in the country. bottom.
Umar’s remarks echoed the Taleen Group, which emerged as a PTI faction made up of dissident parliamentarians from the party, intensifying its efforts to lure as many PTI defectors as possible in order to gain power in the run-up to the general election. It was done in the midst of reports that it was.
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Several PTI members, including high-profile leaders, have announced their departure from the party in recent days following the state crackdown over alleged involvement in vandalism at the May 9 protests following the arrest of the PTI leader. .
Tareen met with former PTI leader Aleem Khan on May 29 at a mansion in the state capital, according to people familiar with the matter. breaking dawn report. According to the report, the meeting was also attended by former minister Ishak Qakwani, special adviser to the prime minister Aoun Chowdhury, Saeed Akbar Niwani and Shoaib Siddiqi.
No word has been announced by the Tareen Group about his return to the political arena, but reports suggest the former PTI leader and financier could restart his political career with a new party. Suggested.
On Saturday, the group, led by Tareen, held a meeting in Lahore, where PTI exile and former Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Tanber Ilyas was also present, announcing that it would advance cooperation with the group.
“Our understanding with Jahangir Tareen is that we will move forward together. Work is also underway on forming a new party,” Ilyas said.
Another member of the Tareen Group, Naumann Langrial, said the association was seriously considering forming a new party. “No final decision has been made yet, but it will probably form a new party. We are in touch with former PTI leaders. Big names will join us soon.” he said.
He said things had changed after the May 9 riots and people were not in favor of “Imran Khan’s PTI”, adding that he “welcomes anyone who is willing to walk away from the PTI and its narrative”. added.
During today’s court, Umar was stalked by reporters asking about his participation in Taline.
“What is the connection between me and Jahangir Taleen?” Umar answered the question.
When another reporter later asked the PTI leader whether he had been in contact with Tareen, Umar shook his head in denial.
But he said he is in “sometimes” contact with Fawad Chowdhury, who resigned from the party last month.
Umar was also asked if he faced any “pressure”. He promptly replied that the only “pressure” he faced was to appear in a different courtroom each day.
“Since my release from Adiara Prison, I have attended more than eight court hearings,” he said.
Umar’s bail extension
Meanwhile, Islamabad’s district court has extended Umar’s bail until June 10 in a case registered with the Tarnoll Police Station in connection with the May 9 riots.
At the follow-up hearing, Judge Tahir Abbas Supra presided over a hearing, during which an associate prosecutor said the prosecutor’s father had died. He requested the court to stop the hearing.
The court extended the PTI leader’s bail for an additional five days without taking any action.