A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed by the division against the former minister on charges of sedition arising from his alleged role in impeding negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
An audio recording of Tarin’s instructions to finance ministers in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa according to a copy of the FIR indicates that Tarin told them not to return surplus budgets to the federal government. This may have adversely affected the ongoing negotiations between the government of Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund.
As a result of the government’s recent decision, the FIA is now authorized to arrest Tarin. The Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah confirmed the arrest at a press conference in Karachi, stating that the investigation against the former finance minister had been completed and the arrest had been authorized.
The FIA’s cybercrime division had previously sought government permission to initiate criminal proceedings against Tarin on charges of sedition and other offenses. The inquiry pertains to audio recordings in which Tarin allegedly employed aggressive tactics, putting the crucial loan program at risk.
In order to prosecute offenses against the state, the FIA’s cybercrime division requested the government’s permission to file a special complaint under Section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The charges against Tarin include sedition under Section 124-A of the Pakistan Penal Code and statements inducing public mischief under Section 505.
