Fawad Chaudhary, Federal Minister for Science and Technology, revealed on Friday that the former head of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was having a dispute with officials at the Prime Minister Office (PMO). “Memon sb faced something when he was due to retire; he was transferred months before his retirements and also faced some issues while person,” Chaudhary told a private TV Channel. He also said that the former head of FIA “has some personal grudges”.
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.
What Memon said?
In an interview with journalist Matiullah Jan, the first part of which was uploaded on the latter’s YouTube channel on Monday, Memon said: “There was a picture on social media, regarding which they [said] that a terrorism case should be filed. It was a picture of the first lady [uploaded] on social media. How is this terrorism? There is a definition of terrorism in law. It was a normal picture, how was that terrorism?”
Memon 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.
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When asked who told him to file a terrorism case, Memon said that he was summoned by the “highest office in Pakistan”. Jan asked if Prime Minister Imran Khan had attended the meeting Memon was summoned for but the former DG refused to take names. “I said the highest office,” he reiterated.
“Imran Khan should resign”
Meanwhile, the PML-N called for the premier to resign over the allegations leveled by the former FIA director-general.
Addressing the media in Islamabad, the party’s spokeswoman Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Tuesday that if Pakistan was truly a state of Madina, Imran would tender his resignation as premier and a case under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution would be filed against him.
She said that after the premier failed to get Memon to act on his directives, he turned his attention towards the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman. “Memon said [in the interview] that everything that is happening currently, he was told to do. After he refused, the NAB-Niazi nexus was formed,” she said.
She added that the interview had also raised a question mark on the role of the bureau’s chairman.
Memon was an upright officer, Maryam Nawaz
Maryam Nawaz, vice-President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), termed Memon as an upright officer who did not follow illegal orders of the prime minister. “Everyone would have watched the video. Now tell me what is happening in this country,” she said while speaking to media persons in Lahore.
میرا ایک سوال ہے @MaryamNSharif صاحبہ سے جب آپ نے کہا کہ بشیر میمن صاحب ایماندار آفیسر ہیں تو کیا ان کی جو تحقیقات ہیں جعلی اکاونٹس میں ذردراری صاحب کے خلاف تو کیا آپ نے انھیں بھی تسلیم کر لیا ؟؟؟ pic.twitter.com/UDAqk15X8A
— Muhammad Adil Abbasi (@adilabbasi23) October 7, 2020
Memon headed JIT probing Zardari’s allegations
Memon headed the Joint Investigation Team (JIT)—formed in 2018— probing into Asif Ali Zardari’s fake bank accounts. The JIT told the SC that a close nexus had been found between a troika of the Zardari Group, Omni Group, and Bahria Town.
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The JIT report revealed that at least 29 bank accounts identified as fake had been used for money laundering of Rs42 billion. The top court subsequently ordered the Zardari Group, Omni Group, Bahria Town, Faryal Talpur and others, including contractors/ builders, to file their comments on the JIT report.
Bashir Memon is biased, PPP
Chaudhry Manzoor, a senior leader of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), said in a talk-show that “PPP has maintained since the day one that he is biased”. “Everyone knows he was used,” he added.
Similarly, PPP on August 4, 2018, demanded removal of FIA Director General Bashir Memon and chief of Joint Investigation Team Najaf Mirza.
The demand was made by PPP Information Secretary Nafisa Shah, Karachi Division President Saeed Ghani, Senator Murtaza Wahab and others during a press conference at the PPP Media Cell. They said that both Memon and Mirza have personal grudges against the PPP leadership.