ISLAMABAD: Former Finance Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Senator Shaukat Tarin is being investigated by the Cyber Crime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). A case of treason has been registered for sabotaging the talks.
The former finance minister was booked under Section 20 of the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 for his alleged audio leak that surfaced on the Internet. Sections 124-A and 505 of the Pakistan Penal Code have also been included in the First Information Report (FIR).
FIR filed by Arshad Mehmood.
A day earlier, the coalition government had allowed the FIA to arrest the former finance minister after the agency sought permission from the home ministry to detain him.
The FIA has completed investigations against Tarin and his leaked audios involving former finance ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Federal Investigative Authority began investigating the matter last year after alleged telephone conversations between Tarin and the two provincial finance ministers came to light that allegedly jeopardized the IMF deal after the devastating floods. I had started a verbal spat between the government and the PTI for trying to put
Audio leak
Last year, before the IMF board meeting to approve Pakistan’s bailout package, the PTI leader reportedly made telephone calls to former finance ministers of Punjab and KP and asked them to give the IMF Write letters to get them to back out of the extra budget commitment.
The leaked audio surfaced on the day the international lender’s executive board was scheduled to meet to consider Pakistan’s request for a $1.2 billion tranche under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
Tarin-Leghari leak
Tarin reportedly asked former Punjab Finance Minister Mohsin Leghari to pull out of the IMF deal and tell the lender that the pledges Punjab had made before the floods and now the province was “unprecedented losses”. Can’t respect that.”
“You signed a 750 billion rupees [surplus] pledge with the IMF. Now you need to tell them that the pledge you made was before the floods, and now [Punjab] is flooded.” [rehabilitation] to spend a lot of funds.]”
“You now need to say ‘we will not be able to honor our commitment’,” Tarin told Leghari, telling Leghari that this was what he wanted – to increase pressure on the current government.
The PTI leader asked the former Punjab finance minister to draft a letter and send it for consideration so that it could be forwarded to the federal government and later to the IMF representative in Pakistan.
At Tarin’s request, Leghari asked whether Pakistan would suffer if Pakistan’s largest province, Punjab, withdrew from the deal.
“Well, isn’t the state already suffering because of the way they are treating your chairman [Khan] and everyone else? The IMF must be asking them: Where are you going to get the money now?” will get?” Tarin replied.
Tarin said it could not go any further and the party could not tolerate “misbehaviour” and could not respond. The PTI leader said that we cannot be blackmailed.
Tarin-Jhagra leak
In another leaked audio, Tarin can be heard asking former KP finance minister Taimur Jhagra if he had written the letter.
“I am on my way. I have the previous letter. I will send it to you after drafting it,” replied the former KP finance minister.
Tarin instructed Jhagra that the main point of his letter should be on the ravages of floods in the province.
“The first point [of the letter] will be that we need huge financial assistance to restore the infrastructure and rehabilitate the flood victims,” Tarin told the former KP finance minister, adding that he was already in Punjab. Finance Minister has been informed about this.
“By the way, it’s a blackmail tactic,” he said, adding that no one gives up money.
