LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has sought an Interpol red notice for the arrest of Farhat Shahzadi, known as Farah Khan, who has been facing money laundering charges at home.

In a letter to the Interpol director in Islamabad, the FIA has sought the red notice of “fugitive Farhat Shahzadi in FIR 04/23 of FIA anti-money laundering circle in Lahore.”

According to Interpol, a red notice is not an international arrest warrant but a request to law enforcement worldwide to “locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action”.

Several PML-N leaders, including some federal cabinet members, have been pushing the government to allow the FIA to bring back Ms Shahzadi to the country and make her face the cases filed against her. Ms Shahzadi is a close friend of Bushra Bibi, the wife of PTI chief Imran Khan.

PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz Sharif had called Ms Shahzadi Punjab’s “real chief minister” during the tenure of Usman Buzdar.

Ms Shahzadi earlier served legal notices on prime minister special assistant Attaullah Tarar for his “derogatory” remarks about her and against a Dubai-based businessman, a leading news channel and its anchor for alleging that she was involved in the sale of Toshakhana gifts.

Ms Shahzadi left the country days before Mr Khan’s ouster as prime minister through a no-confidence motion in April last year.

In its letter, the FIA said that it was investigating her on charges of laundering millions of rupees.

“On fearing that her heinous crime is likely to be exposed, Farhat Shahzadi alias Farah Gogi escaped to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on April 3, 2022,” it said. “She has been declared as proclaimed offender by the court of Mr Ghulam Murtaza Virk on March 14, 2023, by the issuance of a proclamation order (warrant).”

The investigation agency requested Interpol to get the approval of this request and send the process to its headquarters in the French city of Lyon for early issuance of the red notice.

The agency said that once Ms Shah­zadi’s red notice was issued, it would vigorously pursue her arrest abroad.

The FIA is also investigating Ms Shahzadi’s husband, Ahsan Jamil Gujjar, in the money laundering case. He is in the United States. Ms Shahzadi has also been said to have left the UAE and is residing either in the US along with her husband or in some other country.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2023