By Ajmal Khan Yousafzai
ISLAMABAD: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Lahore Director Dr Muhammad Rizwan has once again been tasked to head the joint investigation team probing into the Sugar crisis.
According to details, the probe team has started preparing working papers to arrest sugar baron and disgruntled leader of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Jahangir Tareen.
A progress report about investigation thus far carried out against Tareen and members of his family has also been finalized with details of a forensic audit of accounts owned by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and his company clipped to it. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) probe team expedited the pace of its investigation into the sugar crisis following adviser to prime minister on accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar’s visit to the FIA Lahore office.
On April 27, the government changed the head of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) led Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing into a sugar crisis. Dr Muhammad Rizwan was replaced with Additional Director Abu Bakar Khuda Baksh.
Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan in meeting with the pro-Tareen lawmakers had assured them that he would be personally monitoring the case of the party’s leader and sugar baron Jahangir Tareen. A group of lawmakers backing the estranged leader of the ruling PTI Jahangir Khan Tareen on April 27, 2021 met with Prime Minister Imran Khan and shared their concerns regarding the investigation against the sugar baron.
Speaking to reporters after their meeting in Islamabad, PTI MNA from Faislabad Raja Riaz said it was held in a “very cordial” atmosphere and that the premier had assured them that justice will be done “in every condition”.
He said the prime minister had sought time to look into their concerns that Tareen was being victimised, promising that “all requirements of justice will be met”.
Tareen has claimed that the allegations in the FIRs lodged against him were not criminal in nature and fell within the jurisdiction of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan. He said all of his businesses had been inspected during the previous PML-N government and nothing wrong had been detected by investigators.
