Current Final

Tag: FIA

  • Imran Khan recognized selecting Usman Buzdar as CM Punjab was mistake: Zulfi Bukhari

    Imran Khan recognized selecting Usman Buzdar as CM Punjab was mistake: Zulfi Bukhari

    In a candid discourse at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London, Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari, a close aide to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, publicly acknowledged that appointing Usman Buzdar as Chief Minister of Punjab was a monumental mistake for the party, as per Geo News.

    Speaking on the theme of “Democracy in Crisis,” organized by the SOAS Pakistan Discussion Forum, Bukhari delved into the intricacies of PTI’s nearly four-year tenure, addressing critical questions from the student audience.

    Bukhari disclosed that Imran Khan himself recognized the misstep in selecting Usman Buzdar for the pivotal role of Punjab Chief Minister.

    “There was Aleem Khan group and other power groups. There would have been a war within the PTI if Buzdar was removed and Imran Khan did the right thing by sticking to him, to avoid the war within,” said Bukhari.

    The former special assistant to the Prime Minister, now residing in London and active in advocating for Imran Khan’s case on international media, expressed his reservations about Buzdar’s performance.

    He asserted that Buzdar’s incapacity to deliver effectively was evident

    He said: “I don’t think he was a good chief minister and was able to perform and deliver. By the time calls against Buzdar grew after two years, it was too late and changing him after a year or two would have made the post a revolving door. Nobody would say Usman Buzdar was a good decision but we supported his decisions.”

    Addressing recent controversies, Bukhari distanced himself and PTI from Farah Gogi, best friend and confidante of former first lady Bushra Bibi. He emphasized that if allegations of Gogi’s corruption were true, she should face strict legal consequences.

    Responding to questions about Imran Khan’s defense of Gogi in the media, Bukhari clarified that Khan was unaware of Gogi’s business dealings and that investigating her was not within his purview.

    The former special assistant to PM also condemned the May 9 attacks on military installations.

    “We have condemned all forms of violence, especially the attack on Jinnah House which has a sacred value. We have always stood against violence. Ordinary people say things in the heat of emotions. It’s the job of the leadership to positively tunnel their emotions towards a democratic process to bring about a real change. We are the biggest stakeholder being the biggest political party and we will get more losses than others in any such scenario,” said Bukhari.

    Imran Khan’s former special assistant claimed that over 13,000 activists were arrested after May 9 and put in dire conditions but the rest have been released and around 7,000 remain in jails.

    Acknowledging PTI’s mistakes during their governance, Bukhari asserted that with a different leadership in place, those errors would not be repeated if given another chance.

    He expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with all political parties, including PML-N and PPP, for the betterment of elections and democracy.

    “We want them to sit with us and talk about elections and democracy,” said the PTI leader.

    He also revealed that things were initially fine between PTI and the army but issues started later on.

    He said: “As far as General Bajwa is concerned, he could have suggested things to the PM and not dictate.”

    Answering a question, Bukhari said that two people closest to Imran Khan during the PTI govt were behind making a false case against him.

    “The Ring Road case against me was framed by two people who were then closest to Imran Khan: one of them (Azam Khan) has now become an approver against Khan and another (Shehzad Akbar) has left Pakistan. The purpose was to campaign against me. I resigned from my position and didn’t return to the government after that.”

  • What is the ‘Farah Gogi fiasco’?

    What is the ‘Farah Gogi fiasco’?

    The disclosed assets of Farhat Shahzadi, also known as Farah Gogi, alleged to be the front person of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, surged by an astonishing Rs4.52 billion between 2017 and 2020, a report by Express News has stated. 

    The revelations, made public on Thursday, suggest widespread corruption involving Shahzadi, a close associate of Imran Khan and his wife, former First Lady Bushra Bibi. 

    The details of Farah Gogi’s assets were made public by journalist Zahid Gishkori in 2022, who was associated with Samaa News at that time.

    Farah Gogi, who confessed to owning assets worth Rs950 million in 2020, saw a staggering 420% increase in her declared assets during the tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. 

    The report alleges that she also possesses undisclosed assets amounting to Rs3.82 billion.

    The disclosed assets, as per the report, include agricultural land in Bahawalpur and Gujranwala, residential and commercial properties in Islamabad and Lahore, and 200 kanals of agricultural land in Chakri. 

    Furthermore, investigations revealed her involvement in crimes such as money laundering, with accusations of working as a fake doctor in the UK alongside her husband.

    The report claims that Gogi took advantage of the tax amnesty scheme in 2018, regularizing Rs489 million in black money collected through bribes for various postings, transfers, and government contracts. 

    The report further alleges that Gogi received 240 kanals of land as a bribe from a property tycoon involved in an out-of-court settlement with the UK’s National Crime Agency.

    According to the report, the number of Gogi’s bank accounts showed a significant abnormal increase from 2019 to 2021, with Rs426 million deposited in one account through 47 transactions from 2018 to 2022. 

    In total, 102 bank accounts linked to Gogi, her husband, and associates across the country were identified, with a sum of Rs14.5 billion.

    In response to these allegations, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Central Deputy General Secretary Ataullah Tarar held a press conference in Lahore, accusing Gogi and others of engaging in corruption. 

    He urged Gogi to return to Pakistan and testify about Imran Khan’s involvement.

    Imran Khan’s lawyer, Sher Afzal Marwat, dismissed the allegations as a new wave of propaganda against Bushra Bibi, Imran’s wife. 

    Marwat emphasized the need to avoid further political unrest in Pakistan.

    Secret foreign passport

    Recent developments indicate that Farah Gogi used a secret foreign passport to travel abroad for the alleged purpose of laundering wealth belonging to Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi as per Geo News.

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had registered a money-laundering and kickbacks case against Gogi in March, with her bank accounts reportedly holding over Rs14 billion.

    Meanwhile, Gogi sent a legal notice to the NAB chairman, FIA DG, Punjab IG, and Anti-Corruption Department (ACE) DG on the issue of leaking her property details.

    According to the fresh reports, Gogi used to travel abroad on the passport of Vanuatu, a string of more than 80 islands once known as the New Hebrides which is situated in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

    The sources also claimed that the son of a property tycoon had been given the task of arranging a secret international passport for Gogi. The property tycoon’s son paid $130,000 to a renowned trader to obtain the passport.

    On March 28, 2022, the secret passport was handed over to Gogi, the sources added.

    In order to get her escape from accountability, Gogi was sent abroad on a Pakistani passport just six days before the Khan-led government was toppled. 

    In a bid to dodge the investigation agencies, she travelled abroad on a foreign passport, except Dubai.

  • Gen Bajwa’s relative cleared in FIA investigation

    Gen Bajwa’s relative cleared in FIA investigation

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has cleared Sabir Hameed, also known as Mithu, a close relative of former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, in a case pertaining to suspicious transactions, The News has confirmed on Saturday.


    The FIA closed an inquiry against the well-known businessman as no evidence in support of allegations leveled against him was found.
    Hameed, who works for a large real estate company, gave the FIA investigators access to all of the records he had, including tax returns through the fiscal year 2022, bank statements, information on both domestic and foreign real estate, automobiles, offshore businesses, and so forth.


    The people close to him said that the FIA initially called the close relative of the former army leader on October 23. Hameed is a hardworking Pakistani who does transparent business but his rivals levelled baseless allegation against him to vilify him, FIA said after conducting an in-depth inquiry.


    In addition, Hameed was required to bring a list of all the countries he has visited as well as an explanation of why. A list of all offshore/shell firms and business vehicles owned by the ex-army chief relative, his spouse, and family members was also instructed to be brought.

  • Professional beggars to be blacklisted by FIA

    Professional beggars to be blacklisted by FIA

    The Federal Investigative Agency has decided to blacklist the passports of professional beggars who go abroad to seek alms.

    Director-General FIA Mohsin Butt has issued a directive to thwart these passengers from flying abroad. A crackdown has been initiated, with seventy-four suspects from airports across the country offloaded and transferred to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circles for further investigation. Their passports are going to be blacklisted.

    Previously a report was submitted to the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis about a shocking percentage of professional beggars who were arrested in the Middle East. 90 per cent of them are Pakistanis. These also include pickpockets who are arrested from the religious sites.

    The Secretary of Overseas Pakistanis raised the issue in front of the committee. “Beggars are leaving Pakistan in large numbers, often travelling by boatloads. They are exploiting Umrah and visiting visas to beg from pilgrims abroad,” he informed the committee. The increasing number of Pakistani beggars in Iraq and Saudi Arabia is also a cause of less regard, mistrust and growing suspicion attached to the Pakistani nation. An increasing numbers of prisoners in foreign jails is feeding into the tarnished image and highlights the serious issue of human trafficking as well.

  • Bad News for Zulfi Bukhari

    Bad News for Zulfi Bukhari

    In a notable development, the Ministry of Interior has given the green light for the issuance of a red warrant for Zulfi Bukhari, a prominent leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and former federal minister for overseas Pakistanis.

    The ministry instructed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to formally approach the Interpol Secretariat in France, requesting the issuance of a red warrant for Bukhari.

    The letter sent by Deputy Secretary FIA, Muhammad Zia ul Haq, to Rana Muhammad Waqas Anwar, Additional Deputy Commissioner (G)/ Director Administration ICT, Chief Commissioner Office, Islamabad and SSP Investigation, Islamabad states,

    “FIA is requested to kindly carry out in-depth scrutiny of the documents/case so as to gauge its legal and technical strength, before filing application for issuance of Red Notice with INTERPOL Secretariat, Lyon, France. In case, any deficieney is observed therein, the concerned departments) may be consulted for making up for the same, under intimation to this Ministry. FlA must send complete cases to INTERPOL.”

    The move is part of efforts to arrest and extradite him to Pakistan for his alleged involvement in a case registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Golra police station on March 18.

    The case against Zulfi Bukhari stems from his participation in the PTI’s “Jail Bharo Tehreek,” which commenced on February 22. He was the first to court arrest as part of the party’s protest, but subsequently left the country.

    Former interior minister Rana Sanaullah had accused Bukhari, along with two other PTI leaders, of leaving the country as part of a larger conspiracy.

    In response, Bukhari strongly refuted these claims and criticized Sanaullah’s allegations.

    Bukhari clarified, “I’m sharing my travel details and the airport information. I left for business and was scheduled to return on 6th May. It doesn’t require this much effort and attention to ascertain these facts,” in response to Sanaullah’s remarks made during a television show.

  • Director of Punjab Local Fund Audit alleged to be involved in corruption case of Rs400 million

    Director of Punjab Local Fund Audit alleged to be involved in corruption case of Rs400 million

    Amir Saeed, a Grade 17 officer working as the director of the Punjab Local Fund Audit Department at a Grade 20 level with the approval of the relevant authorities, is facing allegations of receiving kickbacks while supposedly conducting audits of different local government departments during his tenure from 2019 to 2022, SAMMA has reported. 

    The report indicates that Saeed used his position and influence to dishonestly obtain benefits from officials by employing various deceitful methods, such as making recommendations for officials to attend training programmes, handling pension disbursements, arranging transfers and postings, and manipulating record-checking procedures.

    Numerous complaints were filed against Saeed, accusing him of corruption and unethical practices. These complaints have been lodged with several authorities, including the Prime Minister’s Complaint Cell, the Anti-Corruption Establishment, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and various other forums.

    In spite of the allegations and the evidence put forward, no significant action has been taken up to this point.

    Nevertheless, an investigation into the accusations was initiated by the director general of the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment in 2022. This inquiry also failed to produce any outcomes, allowing Saeed to avoid being held accountable.

    At present, Amir Saeed holds the position of an auditor at Arfa Karim University, although his rank has been reduced from 20 to 17.

  • PTA and FIA collaborate to bust illegal internet service providers 

    PTA and FIA collaborate to bust illegal internet service providers 

    The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), in collaboration with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), executed two highly effective operations in Sargodha targeting unauthorised internet service providers.

    The initial operation unfolded in the RB Block of Rose Valley Society, while the second operation was conducted at Burj-e-Umar Plaza on Mian Khan Road, as detailed in an official press release issued on Friday.

    During these operations, law enforcement apprehended one individual, and a range of equipment used by these illicit internet service providers, such as switches, routers, laptops, antennas, and more, was seized. These entities had been offering internet services without the requisite licence from PTA, both in Sargodha and its adjoining regions.

    These successful crackdowns against unauthorised ISPs became possible due to the unwavering commitment and persistent efforts of the PTA in monitoring and addressing the issue of illegal internet services. According to ARY News, this proactive approach aims to reduce financial losses to the national Treasury caused by tax evasion and revenue misreporting.

  • Imran, Qureshi to appear at court on October 4

    Imran, Qureshi to appear at court on October 4

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi have been summoned by a special court established under the Official Secrets Act on October 4 in the cipher case.

    The development occurred two days after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) submitted a challan against Imran and Qureshi.

    Special court judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain has sent notices to respondents, stating that there are enough witnesses to call the suspects to court.

    Judge Zulqarnain directed the superintendent of Adiala jail to present the PTI chief and vice chairman in court on October 4.

    The FIA, in its charge sheet, stated that the former prime minister and former foreign minister were found guilty in the case and requested the court to sentence them in cipher case.

    According to the sources of Geo, the name of former finance minister Asad Umar is not on FIA’s list. On the other hand, Imran Khan’s principle secretary, Azam Khan, is a “strong witness” in the same case.

  • FIA submits challan against PTI leaders in cipher case

    FIA submits challan against PTI leaders in cipher case

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has filed a challan against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case on Saturday.


    The agency asked the court to hold the two at trial and sentence them, claiming that the former prime minister and vice chairman were found guilty in the matter.


    According to Geo’s sources, Asad Umar, former PTI secretary-general, was not included on the list of suspects. Azam Khan, formerly Imran Khan’s principal secretary, has been referred to as a “strong witness” in the case.


    The FIA also included Azam Khan’s confessions made under Sections 161 and 164 with the challan that Imran Khan keep the cipher to himself and used against the state.
    Last month, FIA booked Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi under official secret act for misusing and misplacing classified document for their political interests.


    “Consequent upon the conclusion of the enquiry No. 111/2023 dated 05.10.2022, registered in the CTW, FIA Islamabad, it transpired that former prime minister namely Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, former foreign minister namely Shah Mahmood Qureshi and their other associates are involved in communications of information contained in the secret classified document (Cipher Telegram received from Parep. Washington dated 7th March, 2022 to Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to the unauthorised person (i.e. public at large) by twisting the facts to achieve their ulterior motives and personal gains in a manner prejudicial to the interests of state security,” read the first information report (FIR) registered against the PTI leaders.

  • May 9 attack; Imran Khan charged with ‘criminal conspiracy’

    May 9 attack; Imran Khan charged with ‘criminal conspiracy’

    The Punjab police have pressed charges of ‘criminal conspiracy’ against Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), and all other suspects in May 9 cases across the province. Official sources have disclosed to Dawn that a total of 50 cases were registered, encompassing charges under anti-terrorism and other relevant laws. Among these, 14 cases were filed in various police stations in Lahore and Rawalpindi, while nine were recorded in Sargodha, seven in Sheikhupura, five in Faisalabad, and one in Gujranwala.

    Moreover, the Punjab police have recently added offenses under sections 121 (waging or attempting to wage war or aiding such efforts against Pakistan), 131 (abetting mutiny or attempting to influence a soldier, sailor, or airman from their duty), and 146 (rioting) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to the FIRs.

    Dr. Anoosh Masood Chaudhry, Lahore SSP (Investigation), while talking to the media, revealed that the police have also incorporated certain offenses/sections, including 34 and 120b of the PPC, into the May 9 cases.

    Section 34 reads: “Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention. When a criminal act is done by several persons, in furtherance of the common intention of all, each such person is liable for that act in the same manner as if it were done by him alone.”

    Section 120b states: “Whoever is a party to a criminal conspiracy to commit an offence punishable with death, imprisonment for life or rigorous imprisonment for a term of two years or upwards, shall, where no express provision is made in this Code for the punishment of such a conspiracy, be punished in the same manner as if he had abetted such offence.”

    As per the Lahore police’s investigation, Dr. Chaudhry stated that there appears to be substantial evidence confirming incitement to mutiny and the planning of vandalism on May 9.

    Responding to a question regarding Imran Khan’s presence at the crime scene, she emphasized that it is immaterial whether he was physically there or not, as evidence suggests that he incited the suspects to carry out violent attacks on sensitive installations of the Pakistan Army.

    Dr. Chaudhry further noted that the prosecution and police are awaiting final reports from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) concerning videos and other evidence related to the planners and perpetrators of the May 9 incidents. She assured that all objections raised by the prosecution have been addressed, and the challans for the May 9 cases will be submitted to the courts of law after receiving reports from the FIA and Pemra.