ISLAMABAD (Dunya News/Web Desk) – Fawad Chaudhry – who served in the PTI government as minister and remained a vocal loyalist of the then prime minister – was arrested on corruption charges in the Adiala jail where he is being housed after his detention in a case involving cheating and threatening a citizen.
The arrest came after NAB Chairman Lt-Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmed Butt issued warrants for the purpose which were executed by the anti-graft body officials after obtaining permission from a local court in Islamabad.
In this connection, they appeared before Yasir Mehmood – a judicial magistrate, pleading for his arrest and informing the court that the accused was nominated in a case pertaining to misuse of powers and corruption.
They were required to interrogate Fawad so that the facts could be ascertained as the NAB chairman had issued warrants under Section 24 of the related law, the court was informed.
It was a legal requirement to get court permission as the accused is already in judicial custody in the previous case and the judicial magistrate accepted the plea, directing the Adiala jail superintendent to ensure that the warrants were executed.
The NAB had already launched inquiry into the affairs related to the construction of Jhelum-Pind Dadan Khan dual carriageway – a road project connecting the two towns.
It has been alleged that Fawad used his political clout in the approval and execution of the project that also involves financial irregularities in land acquisition. He was earlier summoned on Nov 13 for an interview at the NAB office in Rawalpindi.
Fawad is known for changing political loyalties. Previously, he remained a staunch supporter of military dictator Pervez Musharraf and later joined the PML-Q. His next stop was the PPP where he was appointed as a media adviser to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari – the party chairman.
However, he then decided to board the PTI’s ship where he became a close aide to the party chairman while delivering aggressive statements and speeches.
With the passage of time, the May 9 fallout meant that he opted to be a part of the newly-launched Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) – a relationship that is yet to be defined clearly.
At point, Fawad was among the aspirants eyeing the chief minister’s slot in Punjab during and after the Usman Buzdar episode, but he hadn’t been able to fulfil his ambitions.