LAHORE: A sessions court on Tuesday granted pre-arrest bail to a former director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Bashir Memon, in three inquiries and restrained the agency from arresting him till Jan 31.

Mr Memon accompanied by his counsel Mian Ali Ashfaq appeared before an additional district and sessions judge.

The FIA initiated three inquiries against its former head on charges of money laundering, fraud and aiding a suspect wanted in a financial crime case.

The counsel argued before the court that all the inquiries initiated against his client were baseless and politically motivated. He said there was a likelihood the agency would arrest his client to victimise him.

The court allowed bail to Mr Memom and issued a notice to the FIA seeking its reply by the next hearing.

Memon had accused PM of pressurising him to implicate Sharifs in cases

Talking to the media, Mr Memon reiterated his previous stance that Prime Minister Imran Khan had repeatedly asked him to institute cases against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, brother and opposition leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and other members of the Sharif family.

Referring to the pending trial in a money-laundering case against Shehbaz and his sons, Hamza and Salman, the former DG claimed that nothing would come out in this case. “I have seen the complete file. No case is made out,” he added.

Mr Memon also accused premier Imran Khan of pressurising him to favour Arif Naqvi, former owner of K-Electric, in a case of money laundering. However, he claimed to have stood firm.

He alleged that the PTI ‘trolls’ received salaries from the government for running campaigns against people on social media. He said the present rulers had made the country a laughingstock in the world and their irresponsible statements caused a huge loss to the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

Memon said he had been trolled and scandalised on the basis of a photo with some Arab delegates, who also had photos with some ministers as well and a scheduled meeting with the prime minister.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2022