Shaukat Tarin booked by FIA in audio leak case

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has registered a case against former Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin under PECA over viral audio clips allegedly aimed at sabotaging deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

بریکنگ
مبینہ آڈیو لیک اسکینڈل
عمران خان دور حکومت کے وزیر خزانہ شوکت ترین کیخلاف مقدمہ درج
شوکت ترین کیخلاف پیکا قانون کے تحت مقدمہ درج کیا گیا ہے
آئی ایم ایف پروگرام کو ناکام کرنے کیلئے شوکت ترین نے پنجاب اور خیبر پختونخوا کے وزرائے خزانہ کو کال کی۔۔۔ایف آئی آر pic.twitter.com/J7EO6otZG4

— MM News (@mmnewsdottv) February 13, 2023

This came just a day after Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Sunday the federal government had allowed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to arrest former finance minister Shaukat Tarin for making an attempt to derail an agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

Also read: Alleged leaked call: Shaukat Tarin asks Punjab to withdraw IMF commitment

The FIR registered on complaint of Rawalpindi resident Arshad Mehmood, states: Consequent upon the conclusion of enquiry No 757/2022 of FIA, Cyber Crime Reporting Centre. Islamabad, it transpired that the accused Syed Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tareen having CNIC No. ——|——- do House No. B-84/4, KDA, Scheme 1, Karachi Sharqi, Karachi with malafide intentions and ulterior motives, induced sitting Provincial Ministers of Finance of Punjab and KPK i.e., Mr. Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra and Mr. Muhammad Mohsin Khan Leghari.

On complaint of the complainant mentioned above at column No. 2 regarding two (02) phone call audio clips gone viral of social and electronic media regarding conversation between Mr. Shaukat Tareen and Mohsin Leghari and 2nd between Shaukat Tareen and Taimoor Jhagra alleged. audio clips were thoroughly heard and analyzed whichtis partially reproduced as, “…Tareen: yehi likhna hai, our kuch nahi kama. Wo jo hai na, Thats all we want keh wo in k upper pressure pray, in saalon k upper, ye apna phuddu khainch rahy hain. Hamain andar knva rahy hain. Hmary upper terrorism k parchy krwa rahy ham. Ye bilkul spotfree ja rhay hain, wo nahin honay dena hum ne… Mohsin: Would have Pakistan as a state suffer because of this? Tareen: Well frankly speaking you know isn’t the state suffering because of the way they are treating your chairman and everybody else… Dekho ye to zaroor ho ga…” the accused Mr. Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tareen clearly asked the Finance Ministers to write letters stating their respective Ministries will not returning surplus budget to the Federal government which will critically affect the then ongoing deals between Government of Pakistan and International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding economic situation of the State.

The FIA states in the FIR that during enquiry, the accused Mr. Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tareen was summoned and questioned regarding contents of alleged audio clips for which he could not provide satisfactory answers which implied that the accused is hiding the facts regarding instant matter and lying about his intentions & motive behind the alleged conversation. Such mischievous acts may lead in disrupting the public tranquility and create an ill will among pillars of state and likely to cause a sense of fear, alarm & intimidation to every citizen of state due to economic situation of Pakistan, thus, the alleged conversation is considered as an act of sedition against the State. In this regard, Federal Government filed the special complaint to the Director General FIA, vide tette? No. 10/22/2022-FIA dated. 10th February, 2023 U/S 196 Cr.P.C. for obtaining cognizance of offences U/S 124-A Chapter VI & 505 PPC. In light of above, a prima facie, a case u/s 20 of PECA, 2016 r/w 124-A & 505 PPC is made out against the accused Syed Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tareen having CNIC No. 42201-0736277-1 r/o House No. B-84/4, KDA, Scheme 1, Karachi Sharqi, Karachi. Competent authority has accorded the permission for registration of FIR so the case is registered. Role of other involved piribns, if any, will be thrashed out during investigation.

CASE BACKGROUND:

In October 2022 ahead of IMF’s board meeting to discuss Pakistan’s bailout package, Shaukat Tarin allegedly made phone calls to Punjab and KP finance ministers asking them to write letters to IMF withdrawing from the commitment for the surplus budget.

Government is of the firm belief that the audio leaks endorsed the view that a letter written by the KP finance minister to Miftah Ismail in August threatening to withdraw from the IMF commitment was a deliberate effort to sabotage the government’s efforts to stabilize the economy and secure bailout from the IMF,

In the leaked audio, Shaukat Tarin can be heard asking Jhagra if he had written the letter.

“I am on the way. I have the previous letter. I will send the letter to you after drafting it,” the KP finance minister replied.

Tarin directed Jhagra that the key point of his letter should be the flood devastation in the province.

“First point [of the letter] would be that we need huge financial aid for restoration of infrastructure and rehabilitation of flood affectees,” Tarin told the KP finance minister, adding that he has already briefed Punjab’s Finance Minister Muhammad Mohsin Khan Leghari about it.

Tarin directed the KP finance minister to dispatch the letter that day. He maintained that a copy of the letter would be forwarded to the IMF.