KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday arrested Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former senator Chaudhary Tanvir Khan in Karachi in connection with a corruption case registered by the Anti-Corruption Establishment, Punjab, when he was trying to ‘escape’ from the country, official sources said.

They added that the immigration wing of the FIA spotted Mr Khan at the airport where he was due to catch a foreign airline flight for the United Arab Emirates.

The sources said his name was included in an FIA ‘blacklist’ on the request of the Anti-Corruption Establishment of Punjab as a precaution after multiple attempts for his arrest met with failure.

“Only on Thursday night, the Anti-Corruption Establishment, Punjab, raided the residence of Mr Khan in Rawalpindi but he was not there,” said an official. “The FIA was already made aware of the possible move from the former senator to flee the country. His name was accordingly included in the blacklist and he was there today [Friday] at the Karachi airport where he was arrested by the FIA immigration team. The FIA team would hopefully handover his custody to the Anti-Corruption Establishment, Punjab, tomorrow [Saturday].”

Mr Khan retired as Senator in March 2021.

He was elected as member of the upper house of parliament in 2015 on a PML-N ticket. He is accused of occupying a portion of land measuring 64 kanals belonging to the government in Rawalpindi. The former senator, the Anti-Corruption Establishment, Punjab, alleges, has constructed a house, commercial buildings and wedding halls and marquees on the encroached land.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2022