Former Pakistan finance minister booked in sedition case for derailing IMF deal: Reports

A sedition case was registered on Monday (February 13) against Pakistan's former finance minister Shaukat Tarin in the Federal Investigation Agency`s (FIA) cybercrime wingfor his alleged attempt to derail a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The sedition case was filed by Arshad Mehmood against Tarin under Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 for his alleged audio leak that had surfaced on the internet. Sections 124-A and 505 of the Pakistan Penal Code have also been included in the FIR, a report by GeoNews said.

The audio leaks surfaced in August last year in which a man, purportedly Shaukat Tarin, was heard guiding the finance ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, to tell the coalition government at the Centre and the IMF that they would not be able to commit to a provincial budget surplus in light of the devastating floods, according to a report by The Dawn.

In a notice issued to Tarin next month, the FIAsaid that an inquiry was initiated against his alleged role on basis of the audio leak. Citing sources, the Dawn report on Monday said the FIA saw Tarin's leaked conversations as an attempt to disrupt the IMF loan programme and funds.

As per a First Information Report (FIR) filed on Monday, Tarin with “malafide intentions and ulterior motives” induced sitting provincial finance ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa- Mohsin Leghari and Taimur Khan Jhagra. The FIR recalled the two phone call audio clips of Tarin with Leghari and Jhagra were thoroughly heard and analysed.

The FIR said, "Such mischievous acts may disrupt public tranquillity and create ill-will among pillars of the state. It is likely to cause a sense of fear, alarm and intimidation to every citizen of the state due to the economic situation of Pakistan. Thus, the alleged conversation is considered an act of sedition against the state."

The FIR also said that during the inquiry, Tarin was summoned and questioned regarding the alleged audio clips. However, he failed to provide any satisfactory answer.

On Sunday (February 12), the central government allowed the FIA to arrest the former minister after the agency sought the Interior Ministry`s nod to detain him. This announcement was made by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, who alleged that former Prime Minister Imran Khan became a `political terrorist` after bringing disasters to the country during his 3.5-year tenure.

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