-Interior Minister says Senator Saifullah Nyazee was not appearing for investigation in the foreign funding case
-Warns Nyazee can be arrested under legal procedures
-FIA says no arrest has been made, raids Tariq Shafi’s house in Karachi
-Saifullah Nyazee ‘picked up’ from Senate premises, claims PTI
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) took PTI Senator Saifullah Nyazee into protective custody, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah confirmed in a press conference Friday, shortly after PTI leaders claimed he had been “picked up” from the Senate premises.
It had earlier been reported that the PTI senator was arrested, but an FIA spokesperson denied reports of an arrest, saying news of the senator’s arrest from the Senate premises was baseless. He had said Nyazee has not been arrested by any wing of the FIA so far.
“[Senator Saifullah Nyazee] was not appearing for investigation in the foreign funding case. He has been taken into protective custody, so he can be questioned,” said Sanaullah in Islamabad, clarifying the confusion following FIA’s tweet.
Meanwhile, the FIA also took PTI’s founder member Hamid Zaman into custody from his office in Lahore in a foreign funding case.
The FIA officials said that $0.625 million were deposited in a bank account of Insaf Trust in 2013 and the trust does not comply with the rules and regulations. Hamid Zaman was then the secretary of the Insaf Trust, the sources added.
Taking to Twitter, Asad Umar had claimed that Saifullah was picked up from the Senate premises. Berating the coalition government over the development, the PTI leader termed its tenure “the era of worst fascism”. Earlier, PTI leaders on Friday claimed that senior party member and Senator Saifullah Khan Nyazee has been “picked up” by “unknown men” from outside the Senate premises in Islamabad.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, PTI General Secretary Asad Umar said: “I have just received news that Saifullah Nyazee has been picked up from the Senate. “If this news is correct, then this is highly condemnable,” he said.
Meanwhile, PTI leader Shireen Mazari claimed that the senator was “picked up” from Senate premises by “unknown people in Islamabad”.
She lashed out at Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, saying he should be “ashamed” of the incident happening without his knowledge or approval. “He is silent on the matter? Or worse he may be complicit?” she asked.
PTI leader Iftikhar Durrani, on the other hand, claimed Nyazee was “abducted”. He pointed out that an “attack” was carried out at the senator’s residence in the past during which his personal items were seized.
Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry called Sanjrani to take notice of the incident as he said that the parliament was never insulted like this before. “At the very least he should show some honour and take notice of the process,” he tweeted.
On September 13, the FIA Cyber Crime Wing had raided Nyazee’s house and confiscated his laptop, phone and other gadgets. According to media reports, the agency believed a website titled ‘Namanzoor.com’ was being operated from the senator’s residence.
In a Senate session two days later, Nyazee submitted a privilege motion against the Islamabad police and the FIA over the breach of his privilege.
He said as soon as he reached home, he was ambushed by a dozen FIA officers and armed policemen who snatched his mobile phone and took away laptops from his car.
“They entered my house violating the sanctity of my private property and even barged into my bedroom,” he claimed.
Nyazee said they searched through his belongings and took away many other things, including his wife’s mobile phone. He said the behaviour of the FIA and Islamabad police, including alleged harassment of his wife and daughters, was tantamount to the breach of privilege of the house of the federation and its member, therefore, the Senate chairman should take appropriate action on this breach.
Meanwhile, FIA’s State Bank Circle team raided Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Tariq Shafi’s house in Karachi.
PTI officer-bearer and close aide of former prime minister Imran Khan Tariq Shafi, nominated in the case of alleged illegal transfer of money from foreign countries to Pakistan.
The FIA team has camped outside the house of the PTI leader. According to FIA sources, the team would begin the search of the house of Tariq Shafi after getting a search warrant from the court.
The FIA’s State Bank Circle team reached the house of PTI office-bearer, however, the family members of Tariq Shafi maintained that he was not at home.
According to FIA officials, FIR No. 14/2022 has been registered in this regard on October 5 in State Bank Circle Karachi.
Syed Arif Masood Naqvi, PTI official Tariq Shafi and Muhammad Rafi Lakhani are named accused in the case. Domestic and foreign companies involved in illegal transfer of funds have also been included in the FIR
