FIA Cybercrime Wing registers case against Senator Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tarin under provisions of sedition & provocation
ISLAMABAD, Feb 13 (SABAH): The Cybercrime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday registered a case against former federal finance minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tarin. The FIR was filed by Arshad Mehmood. After the registration of the FIR, Shaukat Tarin could be arrested at any time but according to a private TV channel, currently Shaukat Tarin is present abroad.
A case has been registered against Shaukat Tarin over alleged viral audio on social media under the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PICA) on the complaint of Arshad Mehmood. The case was registered against Shaukat Tarin under provisions of sedition and provocation.
In August last year, a pair of audio leaks had surfaced in which a man, purportedly Tarin, was heard guiding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab finance ministers, belonging to the PTI, to tell the coalition government in the Centre and the IMF that they would not be able to commit to a provincial budget surplus in light of the monsoon floods that wrought havoc across Pakistan.
The first information report (FIR), registered by the sub-inspector of FIA’s cybercrime wing on Monday, said that Tarin with “malafide intentions and ulterior motives” induced sitting provincial finance ministers of Punjab and KP — Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra and Sardar Muhammad Mohsin Khan Leghari.
It recalled that two phone call audio clips of the former finance minister with Leghari and Jhagra, which had gone viral, were thoroughly heard and analysed.
“Shaukat Tarin clearly asked the finance ministers to write letters stating that their respective ministries will not return the surplus budget to the federal government, which will critically affect the then ongoing deals between the Government of Pakistan and IMF regarding the economic situation of the state,” the complaint stated.
It said that during the inquiry, Tarin was summoned and questioned regarding the alleged clips but he failed to provide satisfactory answers. “This implied that the accused is hiding facts regarding the instant matter and lying about his intentions and motive behind the alleged conversation.
“Such mischievous acts may disrupt public tranquility and create an ill-will among pillars of the state. It is likely to cause a sense of fear, alarm and intimidation to every citizen of the state due to the economic situation of Pakistan. Thus, the alleged conversation is considered an act of sedition against the state,” the FIR said.
It added that a case under Section 20 (Malicious code) of the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 and sections 124-A (Sedition) and 505 (Statements conducing to public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) has been registered against Tarin.
The registration of the FIR comes just a day after the government allowed the FIA to arrest the former finance minister.
“An inquiry against Shaukat Tarin has been completed and the government has allowed the FIA to arrest him,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan confirmed while addressing a news conference in Karachi on Sunday.
The investigative agency had sought the initiation of criminal proceedings on sedition and other charges against the former financial czar in connection with the audio clips wherein he allegedly attempted to employ ‘hardball tactics’ to thrust the crucial loan programme into “jeopardy”.
FIA’s cybercrime zone had sought the government’s permission for a special complaint under Section 196 (prosecution for offences against the state) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) for obtaining cognisance of offences under Section 124-A (sedition) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) in an inquiry pertaining to audio leaks pending against Tarin.
Last year, ahead of IMF’s board meeting to approve Pakistan’s bailout package, the PTI leader allegedly made telephone calls to former Punjab and KP finance ministers asking them to write letters to the IMF withdrawing from the commitment for the surplus budget.
The leaked audio came to the fore on the day that the international lender’s executive board was scheduled to meet for considering Pakistan’s request of releasing the $1.2 billion tranche under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
Shaukat Tarin allegedly asked former Punjab finance minister Mohsin Leghari to withdraw from the IMF’s deal and tell the lender that the commitment Punjab made was pre-floods and now the province “cannot honour it” due to unprecedented losses.
“You have signed a Rs750 billion [surplus] commitment with the IMF. You now need to tell them that the commitment you made was before the floods, and now [Punjab] has to spend a lot of funds for [the] floods [rehabilitation].”
“You need to say now that ‘we will not be able to honour our commitment’,” Tarin said, telling Leghari that this is all he wants – for pressure to increase on the incumbent government.
The PTI leader told the former Punjab finance minister to draft a letter and send it to him for vetting so it could be sent to the federal government and later on to the IMF representative in Pakistan.
At Tarin’s request, Leghari asked whether Pakistan would suffer if Punjab — the largest province of Pakistan — withdraws from the deal.
“Well, frankly isn’t the state already suffering because of the way they are treating your chairman [Khan] and everybody else? IMF will definitely ask them: where will you get the money from now?” Tarin responded.
Tarin said that this could not go on further and the party could not bear being “mistreated” and not respond. “We cannot be blackmailed,” the PTI leader said.
In another leaked audio, Tarin could be heard asking former KP finance minister Taimur 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,” replied the former KP finance minister.
Tarin directed Jhagra that the key point of his letter should be the floods devastations 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 former KP finance minister, adding that he has already briefed Punjab’s finance minister about it.
“By the way, this is a blackmailing tactic,” he said, adding that nobody leaves money.