LAHORE: The Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has launched an investigation against Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid in connection with a government fee scam and summoned him for Friday (tomorrow).

Mr Rashid, who is considered close to ousted premier Imran Khan, is accused of misappropriation of millions of rupees on account of fee in the sale of state land to Life Residencia Islamabad Housing Society.

The ACE has also summoned the administration of the housing society for investigation.

According to a call-up notice, the former interior minister has been directed to appear before investigators at the ACE headquarters in Lahore on July 15 along with relevant record. “And in case of non-appearance, a unilateral action will be taken against him [Mr Rashid] under 172/174 Pakistan Penal Code,” the notice says.

NAB summons Farah Khan in income beyond means, money laundering investigation

PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz recently hinted at a public rally in Punjab that her party’s government would not spare “Imran Khan and his cronies”.

A source in the PML-N said the PTI government had resorted to political victimisation of its opponents, but the Shehbaz Sharif-led administration would not go to that extend; however, it would certainly not let Imran Khan and his close associates go scot-free on ‘corruption’.

A PTI leader told Dawn that Sheikh Rashid had been on the radar of the PML-N for a long time as its supremo Nawaz Sharif had a personal grudge against him for his attacks on the latter. “I cannot comment on the ACE inquiry against Mr Rashid, but one thing is for sure that he is among those the Sharifs are not going to spare as long they are in power,” he said.

Earlier, the PML-N-led coalition government had also instituted a money laundering case against Moonis Elahi of the PML-Q, another ally of Imran Khan. Mr Moonis had declined the Sharifs’ offer to make his father Chaudhry Parvez Elahi the chief minister of Punjab in return for their (Chaudhrys) support for the no-confidence motion filed in the National Assembly against Imran Khan.

Mr Moonis has been on bail in the case which he terms ‘fake’ instituted on political grounds.

NAB summons Farah Khan

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore on Wednesday summoned Farhat Shahzadi, known as Farah Khan, a close friend of PTI chairman Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, to appear before it on July 20 in connection with an investigation into income beyond means and money laundering.

NAB also summoned her husband Ahsan Jamil and her business associates and others, including Abdul Majeed, Tariq Mahmoodul Hasan, Muzahir Baig, Munir, Asif, Waqar, Muhammad Fawad, Shandana Awan, Muhammad Naeem, Waqas Riffat, Sajjad Hussain, Ahmad Mansoor, Asad Majeed, Hamid Hameed, Shahzad Ahmad, Muhammad Anwar and Nasir Nawaz, between July 14 and 20 at the NAB Lahore headquarters.

Although the PML-N leadership, especially Maryam Nawaz, has been targeting Farah Khan and Bushra Bibi along with Imran Khan during by-poll campaigns in Punjab for their alleged corruption, practically a corruption reference has yet to be filed by NAB in a court of law against Farah Khan and her associates. The NAB investigation against her is at an inquiry stage.

Punjab Home Minister Attaullah Tarar recently announced plans for seeking “red warrants” to bring Farah Khan back to Pakistan from the UAE where she had gone days before the no-confidence motion succeeded against Imran Khan.

A red notice is an international request sent to the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) seeking the arrest and extradition of an individual.

Interestingly, Mr Tarar had also asked Imran Khan to call Farah Khan back to the country if he (Imran) had a firm belief that she was innocent. “I must say here that Imran is not bringing her back here because she and her husband will become approvers within an hour of their arrest,” he had claimed.

Farah, however, has maintained that she is “innocent” and her ‘media trial’ is carried out to malign the former first lady.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2022