The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) which is led by the Pakistan Army has formed a team to arrest Tauqir Ali Khan, secretary of Ali Musa Gilani and a main player in the ephedrine scam. Ali Musa Gilani, son of former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, is under investigation for his alleged involvement in the ephedrine case involving Rs 7 billion. Media reports said on Wednesday that the ANF team has been conducting raids in parts of Islamabad to arrest the accused, adding that his arrest would eventually lead to the arrest of Makhdoom Shahabuddin Qureshi of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), who has been short-listed as one of the candidates for the prime minister’s slot after the disqualification of Yousuf Raza Gilani. Shahabuddin is being considered for the slot together with Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar and Syed Khursheed Shah, with the majority betting on him as he belongs to south Punjab. Earlier, a report said that Shahabuddin Qureshi was likely to be arrested anytime by the ANF in connection with the ephedrine case. Quoting sources in the ANF, the media report said, “Qureshi’s arrest is a matter of time and he can be taken into custody anytime”. The report added that a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had already directed the ANF to arrest Shahabuddin who had approved the ephedrine quota.
