No financial wrongdoing found against Jahangir Tareen: Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan said on Saturday that no financial wrongdoing was found against Jahangir Tareen and he was disqualified "only on interpretation of trust deed". 

The Supreme Court, in its judgment on Friday, ruled that Tareen cannot be termed honest and stands disqualified for life as per Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution. It also said the PTI leader used suspicious terms in his statements to the court, besides not declaring his offshore company.

Imran further said that the difference between Tareen and deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif is stark, as Nawaz is guilty of corruption, money laundering, tax evasion and concealment of assets. 

Praising Tareen, Imran said he has shown "unswerving commitment to the cause of Naya Pakistan and worked with utmost dedication for our cause".

The PTI chairman further added that the disqualified PTI leader will remain next to him as they build Naya Pakistan. 

Tareen's disqualification

The apex court, in its judgment, declared that Tareen had failed to declare in his nomination papers the Hyde House property or SVL, the off-shore company established for the property. The apex court verdict said that Tareen was infact "the actual, true, real and beneficial owner of the said property".

"SVL or Hyde House was never transferred to any trust by the respondent, thus, it is his asset which he has failed to declare in his nomination papers filed on 9.9.2015 according to the mandate of the law to contest the by-elections from NA-154 Lodhran and, therefore, he is not honest in terms of Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution read with Section 99(1)(f) of ROPA," read the Supreme Court's order.

Article 62(1)(f) reads: "A person shall not be qualified to be elected or chosen as a member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) unless-...he is sagacious, righteous and non-profligate, honest and ameen, there being no declaration to the contrary by a court of law."

The apex court added that Tareen had made "a blatant misstatement...before the highest judicial forum of the country", claiming he had "no beneficial interest in the trust arrangement which holds the SVL and the Hyde House" while he was infact a ‘discretionary lifetime beneficiary’ along with his spouse.

Therefore, he is declared "not to be an honest person in terms of the constitutional provisions and the provisions of ROPA".

"In his concise statement the respondent [Tareen] in unequivocal, clear and unambiguous terms stated that he has no beneficial interest in the trust arrangement which holds the SVL and the Hyde House, however from the trust deed dated 5.5.2011, on which reliance has been placed by the respondent himself, he is the ‘discretionary lifetime beneficiary’ along with his spouse and, therefore, this is a blatant misstatement on the part of the respondent made before the highest judicial forum of the country which is not a trait of an honest person. Consequently, on both the counts mentioned above, the respondent is declared not to be an honest person in terms of the constitutional provisions and the provisions of ROPA, therefore, he ceases to be the member of the Parliament having incurred the disqualification," the apex court bench wrote in its judgment. 

The judgment further stated that the PTI secretary general had pleaded guilty to insider trading.

Moreover, the court ruled that Tareen used suspicious terms in his statements to the court.

It was also stated in the judgment that the court is not announcing its decision on Tareen's agriculture land matter.