Former finance minister and PTI Senator Shaukat Tarin said current finance minister Miftah Ismail wanted him to help the coalition government deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
During an interview on Hum News, the former finance minister Tarin refused to do so until a caretaker setup was installed and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced fresh elections.
“There has been extensive debate on who had invited me for the talks. Let us end it here,” Tarin said, adding that the new coalition government sought his expertise to help boost the economy.
Tarin also said he was never asked by “anyone in the establishment” to “leave” PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who was ousted through a no-trust motion at the end of April.
Read more: No need to declare financial emergency: Miftah Ismail
“I categorically deny what has been attributed to me by Shaheen Sehbai. I was never asked by anyone in the establishment to leave Imran Khan and join [the] Shehbaz Sharif government,” Tarin said on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/shaukat_tarin/status/1534536507872231424?s=21&t=0vGw4PI-s42FnV37p7Zz3A
It appears to be a response to journalist Shaheen Sehbai’s tweet, in which the latter had said: “NEUTRAL EXPOSED: I am going to write soon about WHY the Chief Neutral, proved by Shaukat Tarin as Non-Neutral as he asked Tarin to betray Imran Khan and help Shehbaz, is so sensitive and DEAD SCARED about his remaining four months in office. Something fishy, intriguing, alarming, unpatriotic.”
NEUTRAL EXPOSED: I am going to write soon about WHY the Chief Neutral, proved by ShaukatTareen as Non-Neutral as he asked Tareen to betray IK n help Shehbaz, is so sensitive and DEAD SCARED about his remaining 4 months in office. Something fishy, intriguing, alarming, unpatriotic
— SHAHEEN SEHBAI (@SSEHBAI1) June 8, 2022
However, the journalist also did not mention if Tarin was asked to resign or who asked him to do so.
The term neutral is frequently used by Imran Khan and his party as a reference to the military, which has been consistently claiming that it remained apolitical and had nothing to do with the no-confidence vote against Imran Khan.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) also took exception to Sehbai’s remarks and issued a statement following Tarin’s tweet, calling the insinuations a “baseless propaganda.”
Read more: KSA extended $3b deposit after COAS Bajwa’s call: Miftah Ismail
“The insinuations by Shaheen Sehbai and some others on social media quoting the former finance minister are baseless propaganda. The same has also been duly rebutted by Shaukat Tarin himself.”
“Peddling malicious allegations and blatant lies against the institution and its leadership to promote vested interests is condemnable, and [the] institution reserves the right to take legal action against those involved,” it concluded.
In response, Sehbai said Tarin himself broke the news of being asked to assist the coalition government in dealing with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), proving that the neutral was non-neutral.
Tarin Sb: NEWS that U were asked to help SSGovt in IMF was broken by YOU on TV. I only said it was proved by MrTarin tht Neutral was NonNeutral as he wanted U "to betray IK n help Govt". I did'nt say a word of my next piece. So Y such panic using ISPR. All are quoting your words. https://t.co/EXGrYY9Btm
— SHAHEEN SEHBAI (@SSEHBAI1) June 8, 2022