Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has convened an important meeting in Lahore on Tuesday (today) to discuss the arrest of close associates of former President Asif Ali Zardari on charges of corruption and money laundering and the summons to Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur by the Supreme Court. This was confirmed by Muhammad Naveed Chaudhary while talking to Business Recorder on Monday.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zaradri will jointly preside over the party's meeting. PPP senior leaders Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Faryal Talpur, Latif Khosa, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Farhatullah Babar and others would participate in the meeting.
The meeting would also discuss the current political situation and NAB court's judgment on the reference against the Sharif family. They said that important decisions would be taken in the meeting.
Naveed Chaudhry stated that the party leadership faced such "fake" cases in the past and the courts had acquitted Asif Ali Zardari in such cases.
He said that general elections are scheduled for July 25 and these tactics are being used to damage the image of the party leadership. FIA is arresting close friends/associates of Asif Ali Zardari but is not taking any action against those who are joining the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), he added.
The PPP leader further claimed that "plans" are being made to embroil the party leadership in such cases to divert their focus from the election campaign.
He stated that this recent action may be in response to PPP requesting the caretaker Prime Minister Nasir-ul-Mulk to transfer Director General FIA Sindh Bashir Memon who was facilitating his brother Naseer Memon, a candidate for PS-58, Matiari, Sindh, from Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), in his election campaign.
FIA conducted an investigation into 29 fake accounts and fictitious transactions amounting to Rs 35 billion. These accounts were allegedly used for transactions relating to bribes and kickbacks.
On July 06, the FIA has arrested Pakistan Stock Exchange chairman Hussain Lawai, a close aide of Zardari, and co-accused Taha Raza, the corporate unit head of the Summit Bank.