KARACHI: Former director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Bashir Memon has joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The news of his joining the PML-N emerged when the party’s chief organiser, Maryam Nawaz, formed a 12-member provincial committee and made Mr Memon as its convener to “mobilise workers” and look after arrangements for the October 21 homecoming of party supremo Nawaz Sharif.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Memon said before joining the party he had multiple meetings with former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and other senior leaders.

“The PML-N has the history of reviving the country’s economy, social and diplomatic status whenever it came into power,” he said. “I believe there’s no other party which can steer the country out of current crises.”

Mr Memon, who had never been in PPP’s good books during his career, came under the spotlight when he resigned as the head of the FIA in December 2019 days before of his retirement under protest. He had blamed the then Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government for pressurising him to file cases against opposition leaders.

In April 2021, he had claimed that when he was the FIA director general then prime minister Imran Khan, law minister Farogh Naseem and then accountability tsar Shahzad Akbar were forced him to initiate an inquiry against now Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa.

He hails from Matiari district, which is dominated primarily by Makhdooms of Hala. His brother, Naseer Memon, is the district president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2023