- Prime Minister’s aide on accountability Shahzad Akbar serves legal notice to former FIA chief Bashir Memon for levelling “baseless allegations against him.”
- Says he firmly believes in the rule of law, therefore, Memon will be answerable before a court of law for his slander.
- Bashir Memon had alleged that PM Imran Khan, Law Minister Farogh Naseem, and Shahzad Akbar had pushed him to file a corruption case against Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Adviser on Interior and Accountability Shahzad Akbar on Wednesday announced that his lawyers have issued a legal notice to the former director-general of the Federal Investigation Agency Bashir Memon for “levelling baseless allegations against him.”
“My lawyers have issued [a] legal notice to Bashir Memon for his lies and slanderous accusations with malafide and without any evidence,” the SAPM wrote on Twitter.
“I firmly believe in rule of law, and he shall be answerable before a court of law for his slander.”
It should be recalled that Memon, while speaking on the Geo News’ programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath,” had once again said he was asked by the prime minister himself to file cases against Supreme Court judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa and other Opposition leaders during his tenure as the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) director-general.
Memon had said that Federal Minister for Law and Justice Farogh Naseem Naseem and Akbar also wanted him to proceed against Justice Isa on money laundering charges, but he had refused to do so as “the agency had no grounds to do so, especially since the matter pertained to a Supreme Court judge.”
Minister Naseem and Akbar both rubbished the former FIA chief’s claim.
In response to a question, Memon said he once had a meeting with the prime minister during which the premier lauded his services by saying that he is a “very good officer” and told him to pursue cases against corrupt people.
The former DG FIA said he did not know that he would later be asked to file a case against Justice Isa.
The ex-DG FIA said he wasn’t sure what the prime minister was referring to but then he was taken to Akbar’s office.
“It was in Akbar’s office that I got to know that the case PM Imran was referring to was to be filed against Justice Qazi Faez Isa,” Memon said. “I told Akbar categorically that it was not possible for me to do that.”
The former FIA chief said he was then taken to the law minister’s office, saying that minister Naseem was also convinced that a case against Justice Isa could be filed.
According to Memon, Dr Ashfaque of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) was also present at the law minister’s office.
Memon claimed that Dr Ashfaque was in possession of some data which Naseem believed could be used to file a case against Justice Isa. However, Memon said he told them point-blank that it was not possible for him to book the Supreme Court judge.
Naseem disagreed, said Memon, adding that he was of the view that the FIA and the FBR could cooperate and make a case against the judge on the basis of the data Dr Ashfaque had with him. Naseem, according to Memon, said he would contest the case himself in court.
Memon says he ‘put his foot down’
The ex-DG FIA said he had to “put his foot down”, and told them (Farogh Nasim, Shahzad Akbar, and Azam Khan, who was also present there according to him) that the rules concerning the judiciary’s internal affairs were quite clear. He made it clear that acting against a judge was beyond the terms of reference (ToRs) of the FIA.
“I have never conducted an inquiry to this day nor can I do it. They may have believed I am misinterpreting the law,” he said, adding that the police is a law-enforcement agency hence it cannot take any illegal action.
“I had also consulted with the legal team [of the FIA] which also held that my stance was right,” said Memon.
He further said that the premier wanted him to go after PML-N leadership and other Opposition leaders.
Referring to his various official meetings with the prime minister, Memon alleged the premier had “repeatedly instructed him to go after top PML-N leaders, including the two Sharif brothers, Maryam Nawaz, Hamza Shahbaz, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, PML-N Punjab president Rana Sanaullah, Marriyum Aurangzeb and former foreign minister Khawaja Asif.”
Memon further alleged that PPP leaders Khurshid Shah and Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar were also on the prime minister’s target list, adding that he also wanted the FIA to arrest Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan and PML-N leader Amir Muqam.
The ex-FIA chief said that he told the prime minister that the police arrest suspects on the basis of evidence and inquiry, adding that he told PM Imran the FIA needed evidence to proceed against anyone. Memon alleged the premier always used to tell him “not to spare the Opposition”.
He said when the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, the prime minister taunted him by saying: “Look, you couldn’t do it [arrest Shahbaz], but NAB did it in one day.”
He rejected the notion that there was a “soft corner” in his heart for leaders of the PML-N.
“Why will I have a soft corner in my heart for the PML-N? The PML-N [leadership] doesn’t even know me,” he said, adding he had met former prime minister Nawaz Sharif only when he was on protocol duty at the airport and Sharif was the premier at the time.
Akbar, Naseem refute Memon’s allegations
Reacting to Memon’s statement, Akbar had vehemently rejected the claims. He said Memon had committed “slander” and said he had directed his lawyers to initiate legal action against the former head of the FIA.
“Just seen absolute rubbish uttered by Bashir Memon on Shahzeb show. He was never called for any meeting with PM or myself on QFI (Qazi Faez Isa) issue, and there was no meeting with law minister and him as he claims. Similarly he was never told to start any case against any specific individual. Only case referred to FIA was of sedition by the fed cabinet. I have instructed lawyers in personal capacity to initiate legal action for his slander.”
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