Warrants out for Gilani and Faheem!

• Non-bailable arrest warrants issued against former PM Gilani, Amin Faheem in TDAP scam
• Gilani says will face courts ‘but enough is enough’
• Former PM says interior minister should keep ‘red lines’ in mind

An anti-corruption court in Karachi on Thursday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Makhdoom Amin Faheem.

The warrants against the two were issued in a case relating to financial irregularities in Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP). Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing till June 17.

The case in this regard had been registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) when Amin Faheem was a commerce minister.

Gilani and Faheem had been accused of involvement in Rs 7 billion financial scam in TDAP. Muhammad Firdous, the key accused, has turned approver against the former prime minister and former federal minister.

Also, the court had previously issued three notices to Gilani and Faheem, requiring them to appear before it. The notices were ignored after which bailable arrest warrants were issued against both the leaders.

GILANI SLAMS ‘HARASSMENT’:

Reacting to the court’s decision to issue warrants, Gilani said that he would appear in Islamabad’s accountability court on June 4 and also in the Karachi court to explain his case in the TDAP scam.

The former premier said that he had been facing fabricated cases in the past and will face these now as well. He said that he was the only one who had received notices to appear in court and he was determined at defending himself as he has been doing in the past.

Gilani added that if the competent appointing authority was to be held responsible then no one could be spared if the intentions were motivated by vendetta.

Moreover, PPP’s senior leader said that he was ready to face any trial but the interior minister should know the “red lines”.

“The government should know enough is enough. It can lodge as many cases as it want but should also tolerate when it would be on the other side of the power equation as an opposition,” Gilani said.

The former premier said that it seemed that the government had “nobody else to single out other than him”.

“Whether it is NCL case or OGRA or non-implementation of NRO case, it is always me facing the courts. Why doesn’t the government gather together all the cases against me once and for all? I am ready to face them. I know I will be indicted on June 4 when the court’s next hearing takes place,” he added.