LAHORE: Chief Minister Usman Buzdar says a powerful mafia (an apparent reference to the Tareen group) is engaged in hatching conspiracies against the PTI government from the day one.

“Regrettably, the tentacles of this mafia are present everywhere,” the chief minister told parliamentarians who called on him at chief minister’s secretariat on Wednesday, says a handout.

The official statement was issued after Tareen and the like-minded accused the Buzdar administration of resorting to vindictive actions against members of the group.

Busdar said the opposition was also patronising this mafia and added that his government would go to every length to nab this mafia.

The chief minister advised the PDM to shun negative politics after repeated failures. Mr Buzdar told the parliamentarians that their proposals were being given importance in the formulation of district development package and every city had been equally included in the development process. He said every decision was being made with consultation and no compromise would be made on the respect of parliamentarians.

Provincial ministers Dr Yasmin Rashid, Sibtain Khan, Yasir Humayun, Dr Akhtar Malik, Advisors Asif Mahmood, Faisal Hayat Jabwana, MNAs Muhammad Afzal Khan Dhandala, Syed Mobeen Ahmed, MPAs Malik Asad Ali Khokhar, Muhammad Tariq Tarar, Malik Mukhtar Ahmed, Nazir Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Ijaz Hussain, Javaid Akhtar Lund, Saleem Sarwer Jora, Mian Muhammad Akhtar Hayyat, Chaudhary Liaqat Ali, Ghazanffar Abbas Cheena, Mamoon Tarar, Muneeb Sultan Cheema, Amir Anayat Shahani and Shahida Ahmed had called on the chief minister.

SACM: Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan says a group of MPAs currently siding with party’s estranged leader Jahangir Khan Tareen will not fail the Punjab government in getting its next fiscal budget passed.

“No MPA, elected on PTI ticket, will go to commit political suicide,” she said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

Referring to their reservations aired by media, she said the chief minister was regularly meeting the parliamentarians and addressing their grievances with regard to their constituencies and public service delivery.

She said the impression that the group could harm the provincial government had been refuted by none other than Mr Tareen, who categorically stated that they were part of the PTI and would remain so.

Dr Awan said the party leadership was ready to hear every parliamentarian’s reservations but they should behave.

Responding to a question about victimisation of PTI MPAs, she said it was neither CM Usman Buzdar’s policy nor his approach.

She said Prime Minister Imran Khan had personally heard the grievances of Mr Tareen and appointed Barrister Ali Zafar as one-man commission. She said Barrister Zafar was yet to submit his recommendations to the party leadership.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2021