The probe agency sought approval of the Interior Ministry to initiate legal proceedings against Tarin, leading to his arrest..reports Asian Lite news
The Pak Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has sought permission from the Interior Ministry to arrest former Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin in a case pertaining to his alleged role in the derailment of the deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a media outlet reported.
The FIA completed a preliminary inquiry into Tarin’s audio leaks and saw his leaked conversations as an ‘attempt to disrupt’ the IMF loan programme and funds, thereby ‘causing harm’ to the national interest, Dawn reported.
The probe agency sought approval of the Interior Ministry to initiate legal proceedings against Tarin, leading to his arrest, the media outlet reported, citing sources.
Two audio leaks had surfaced in August 2022 in which a man purportedly former minister Tarin can be heard guiding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab finance ministers, belonging to the PTI, to tell the PDM coalition government in the Centre and the IMF that they would not be able to commit to a provincial budget surplus in light of the monsoon floods that wrought havoc across Pakistan.
In a notice issued to Tarin in September 2022, the FIA said that an inquiry had been initiated against his alleged role on the basis of the audio leak. “In it, you are provoking him (Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra, Finance Minister of KP) to write a letter to the federal government on behalf of the KP government that it will not return extra money of the fiscal budget so that interruption may be created between IMF and the Government of Pakistan.”
Won’t betray Imran: Qureshi
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that he and his family will not betray Imran Khan despite receiving “threats of arrest and political victimisation for changing loyalty”, Pakistan based Dawn newspaper reported.
According to Dawn, talking to media persons after visiting a returning officer in connection with scrutiny of his nomination papers to contest a bye-election for NA-156, Multan, on Friday, the former foreign minister said his son Zain Qureshi was receiving threats of arrest, but they would not switch loyalty and are ready to court arrests during the ‘Jail Bharo’ (court arrest) movement. According to Qureshi, Pakistan’s government and administration are trying to change election results, but democratic forces would not allow vote snatching.
He said that it is PTI’s strategy to resign from assemblies and contest in by-elections. The party will not leave the ground vacant for Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) candidates, Qureshi said.
Commenting on retired Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s statement about the PTI government causing destruction in the country, Qureshi said the public knows who caused the destruction and they will not listen to the former army chief, according to Dawn.
He said that the country’s current economic condition could not afford chaotic situations as these would further deteriorate the economy.
According to Qureshi, the government was involved in changing administration at a massive level to change the by-election results and it was a violation of the ECP’s code of conduct.
Federico Giuliani in a recent report for Insideover said that Pakistan is facing political unrest amidst a failing economy in the aftermath of the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry in the early hours of January 25.
The political crisis is intensifying in Pakistan following the sudden arrest of Chaudhry which led to widespread condemnation from journalists, who called for his release.
Many senior journalists, political analysts, and members of civil society expressed their concerns on social media about the detention of the former Information Minister and urged the government to avoid escalating the political situation.
The arrest followed Chaudhry’s public criticism of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government for allegedly planning to arrest former prime minister and PTI chief, Imran Khan, reported Insideover.
He was sent on a two-day physical remand in Islamabad and later given a 14-day judicial remand in a case over alleged incitement of violence against a constitutional institution.
Chaudhry belongs to the inner circle of Imran Khan, and it is speculated that his arrest is just a precursor of what is coming next for other top-rung PTI leaders, said Giuliani. (IANS/ANI)
