ISLAMABAD, July 19: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to arrest Mian Khurram Rasool, a former media coordinator of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, in a fraud case.

The director general FIA will report to court in a fortnight.

Justice Mohammad Anwer Khan Kasi passed these orders while disposing of a petition filed by Pervaiz Hussain and his son Sameer Hussain.

Mohammad Waqar Rana, counsel for the petitioners, told the court his clients are owners of Afghan Carpets. He said Khurram Rasool working as the prime minister’s media coordinator “deceitfully extorted” Rs430 million from his clients in 2009.

The counsel said he promised to get an LPG quota and oil export licence for Sahara Gas and Pak Delta Enterprises – also owned by the petitioners – to Nato forces in Afghanistan.

He alleged that Rasool “purportedly got executed two agreements with Pak Arab Refinery for 53 metric ton of LPG quota” by presenting his “accomplice as chief marketing Parco by fraud and impersonation”.

But the counsel said when his clients presented the two agreements to Parco and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, they turned out to be “fake and forged”.

According to him, Khurram Rasool gave four cheques of Rs630 million to the petitioners, which were dishonoured by banks.

Mr Rana said his clients approached the prime minister, saying Khurram Rasool told them that quotas have been sanctioned by the premier. The counsel added that Nargis Sethi, then principal secretary of the prime minister, had ordered inquiry.

The petition said Ms Sethi lodged an FIR against Khurram Rasool with FIA in March this year but even after four months “the prime accused has not been arrested”.