LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was perplexed by the relocation of officers probing significant cases on Tuesday, including the alleged money laundering and sugar scandal charges against PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, his son Hamza Shehbaz, and their family members.
“The relocation of personnel is beyond comprehension at this critical juncture when the cases have entered their final stages and challans have been submitted to the court,” sources in the FIA told news media.
The FIA director general reassigned officers investigating well-known and major cases after Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shehzad Akbar resigned. Sugar scandals and money laundering are among the cases.
Officers investigating cases against estranged PTI leader Jahangir Tareen, Shahbaz, and Hamza are among the transferees. Nine FIA assistant directors have been transferred in total.
The extra FIA director general (South) Karachi has taken over the services of the transferred personnel.
Syed Ali Mardan, the FIA’s assistant director in Lahore, has been reassigned. He is also a member of the JIT examining the cases of Shehbaz, Hamza, and former FIA director general Bashir Memon. Emad Arshad and Rana Faisal, FIA assistant directors who were investigating key cases, were also transferred.
Other assistant directors who have been transferred include Abdul Qayyum, Zawar Ahmed, Shiraz Umar, Nadeem Ahmed, and Sibghatullah Khan.
The entire crew from Lahore has been told to report to the Karachi zone.
The action comes a day after Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed met with Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Musaddiq Abbasi, in which the newly appointed official was instructed to try to correct deficiencies in the prosecution process in order to “catch big fish.”
The meeting took place at a time when the ruling PTI is under scrutiny for failing to carry out its anti-corruption programme. Pakistan recently dropped 16 places on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), prompting citizens to raise concerns about the incumbent government’s anti-corruption efforts.
During the discussion, Rashid briefed Abbasi on the government’s accountability efforts, emphasising the importance of expediting the process to bring ongoing cases to a logical end.
