ISLAMABAD: The opposition on Tuesday criticised the presence of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Khan Tareen at a news conference with federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan at the official Press Information Department (PID).

The opposition leaders belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) wondered how a convicted person could announce the agriculture policy of the government.

In December 2017, the Supreme Court had disqualified Mr Tareen as MNA for being “dishonest” under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution and Section 99 of Representation of People Act for non-declaration of his property/asset i.e. ‘Hyde House’ in his nomination papers, and making untrue statement.

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said in a statement that “a certified court-convicted deputy prime minister can address the nation on agriculture policy, whereas the interview of former president Asif Ali Zardari, who was not a convicted man and facing wrong charges, was censored”.

PML-N information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb in a separate statement also questioned Mr Tareen’s role in the government, and termed it “contempt of court”.

She regretted that “a person who had confessed before the Supreme Court to committing money laundering through gardeners and cooks” was holding news conference using official resources.

Ms Aurangzeb alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan could not bar Mr Tareen from doing anything fearing that he might stop providing money to run the ‘‘kitchen of Banigala’’.

“Imran Khan should tell the nation as to how a person convicted by the Supreme Court can become a spokesman for the government?”

She said that a “court-certified liar” could not tell the truth to the nation.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd , 2019