ISLAMABAD: A former PTI member, retired Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed, has claimed that the now-estranged PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen used to provide funds of up to Rs3 million per month for now-Prime Minister Imran Khan’s household expenses.

Ahmed, who had resigned from the PTI five years ago after developing serious differences with PTI chief Imran Khan, made the claim while speaking on Bol news programme ‘Tabdeeli’, but offered no proof for the same.

“This belief is entirely false that Imran Khan is a [financially] honest man,” Ahmed said. “His condition is such that he hasn’t been running his household himself for years.”

“In the start, the Jahangir Tareen group used to pay Rs3 million monthly to run his house,” he claimed, adding that the amount was later increased to Rs5m after it was determined that Rs3m were not enough for the PTI leader’s palatial Banigala residence.

He further said certain people within the party would try to outdo each other in footing the bills for things like keeping Imran’s car fuel tank and “keeping his pocket full at all times”.

The former supreme court judge then quoted an unnamed PTI leader as saying: “How can a man whose shoelaces are not even his own call himself righteous?”

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill rubbished Ahmed’s claim as “completely false and illogical”.

“Whoever knows Imran Khan, knows his honesty and dignity. Wajih sahib often makes illogical remarks such as these in despair over being expelled from the party,” he tweeted.

At a press conference, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said: “Jokers like retired Justice Wajihuddin say things like these to increase their importance. Such people are not recognised by their families either so there is no need to pay much attention to them.”

Ahmed had formally resigned from the PTI in September 2016.

He had served as the party’s election tribunal head. He was tasked to head a commission in 2013 to investigate “irregularities” in the PTI’s intra-party elections that took place before the general elections in the same year.

The retired justice developed differences with the party leadership over implementation of the recommendations made by the tribunal.

His party membership had been suspended in 2015, after which he presented a seven-point charter calling for the ouster of Jahangir Tareen, Pervaiz Khattak, Aleem Khan and Nadir Leghari from the PTI.

He alleged that the party was being run like a mafia without any institutional checks and balances.