Former Federal Investigation Agency chief Bashir Memon has alleged that he was facing the music over his “refusal” to PM Imran Khan orders to conduct an investigation against PPP and PML-N leaders and Supreme Court judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa during his service as the head of the country’s probe body.
“PM Imran Khan explicitly told me to conduct investigation against many PPP and PML-N leaders. I refused because of the available pieces of evidence. We thought we could not conduct with such pieces of evidence. I am bearing the brunt of the refusal after my retirement,” he told Aaj News’ Karachi Bureau Chief Saeed Rafat in an exclusive interview on Sunday.
Memon had resigned on November 20, 2019, days before he was supposed to retire as a mark of protest against being posted out close to his retirement date.
Memon revealed that after his refusal such cases were taken up by the National Accountability Bureau and “people” were arrested. He was of the view that NAB’s procedure of following cases was different, saying that it’s a bit prompt and they collect evidence promptly as they have some powers to conduct an investigation.
That was apparently the reason the former FIA DG was to go on forced leave as there was some sort of government’s “displeasure.”
Despite his leave, he added that investigations were conducted against PPP and PML-N leaders. “Also in some cases, such leaders got bail like former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi,” he said, adding that PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz appeal was being heard in the court.
“Khursheed Shah, Nafisa Shah, Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Captian (retd) Safdar, Hamza Shehbaz, and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi,” he said these names while talking about the government’s intention to conduct probe against opposition leaders.
To a query that did the PM ordered him to conduct an investigation against SC judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Memon said: “I told him [PM Imran] that because it does not fall under our purview so we cannot conduct this investigation. This is the job of the Supreme Judicial Council.”
Later, Memon claimed that his pension was halted.
The former FIA DG said that he has got a pre-arrest bail as he’s being summoned by the FIA. According to Dawn, Memon on Saturday was grilled for aiding foreign financial crime suspects while appearing before an inquiry team.
This is not the first time Memon has come up with startling revelations. In an interview with journalist Matiullah Jan, the first part of which was uploaded on the latter’s YouTube channel on October 5 2020, Memon had alleged that during his tenure, he was summoned to the “highest office” and was told to file a terrorism case against members of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s social media cell after a picture of the first lady was circulated on social media.
Then in April 2021, the former FIA DG speaking to Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath had claimed that the law minister and the adviser wanted him to proceed against Justice Isa on money laundering charges apparently on PM Imran’s orders
Later in May the same year, Memon had appeared on the Hum News programme ‘Breaking Point with Malick’. In this interview, which appeared to be another twist, the ex FIA DG had said that PM Imran did not take Justice Isa’s name during meetings with him.
