LAHORE - The leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) formally announced the Jahangir Tareen group on Tuesday night with the nomination of MNA Raja Riaz and MPA Saeed Akbar Nawani as its Parliamentary leaders.
A day ahead of his scheduled appearance before the court, the estranged PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen (JKT) hosted a dinner in honour of his supporters on Tuesday night.
Sources privy to the dinner meeting said that the participants renewed their pledge to stand with their leader through thick and thin besides supporting a proposal to give practical shape to the group by nominating parliamentary leaders in the National and Punjab Assembly. Reportedly, the loyalists also took an oath of allegiance to JKT during the meeting. It was administered by party MNA Raja Riaz. Provincial Minister Nauman Langrial, however, denied this news saying no such oath was administered.
Insiders said that the names of MNA Raja Riaz and MPA Saeed Akbar Nawani were considered for nomination as parliamentary leaders of the like-minded group in the National and Punjab Assembly respectively.
Rja Riaz claimed that four more MNAs and an equal number of MPAs have joined the JKT group. But he did not divulge the names. Provincial Minister Nauman Langrial said that 31 MNAs and MPAs attended the dinner meeting.
“Today’s meeting was attended by 31 members. We will continue to support the government rather than weakening it,” he said.
The minister also tried to downplay the meeting, saying that they had only gathered to show solidarity with Jahangir Tareen ahead of his court appearance. “We want to see the government getting stronger with time,” he said.