PM Imran Khan contacts Jahangir Tareen: FM Qureshi

• PM Imran has inquired about Tareen's health, FM Qureshi says.
• "Prime minister was informed that Tareen was unwell," Qureshi says.
• Ties between Tareen and PM are sour since sugar inquiry report.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has contacted disgruntled PTI leader Jahangir Tareen after the politician left Pakistan for the United Kingdom, Geo News reported, citing Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

The foreign minister, according to the media outlet, said the prime minister called the PTI leader to inquire about his health as he has left for London for a medical check-up.

"The prime minister was informed that Jahangir Tareen was unwell," Qureshi said.

Sources had informed Geo News said Tareen spent a week in a private hospital in Lahore for medical treatment, adding that the PTI leader would spend a week in London.

"I'm going for a medical checkup [but] we must stay united and in touch," Tareen's told lawmakers who have been sympathetic to him.

Sour ties

In 2020, after revelations in a Sugar Inquiry Commission report, investigations had been launched against Tareen, with the ties between the PTI leader and PM Imran Khan turning sour.

The following year, a separate group was formed by Tareen's loyalists in the PTI, who have recently made contact with the Opposition as it seeks to oust the government.

The conversation between PM Imran Khan and Tareen comes amid increasing activities of the Opposition — PPP holding an "Awami March" and the Pakistan Democratic Movement's (PDM) bid to move a no-confidence motion against the premier.