Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former senator Chaudhry Tanvir Khan was arrested at the Karachi airport as he reportedly tried to flee the country after the Punjab anti-corruption department filed a complaint against him for allegedly grabbing government lands.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) detained the PML-N leader at Jinnah International Airport on Friday as he was trying to board a foreign flight to Dubai. Tanvir’s name had been placed on a watchlist by the Anti-Corruption Establishment of Punjab.
According to the Anti-Corruption Establishment, Punjab, Tanvir allegedly encroached on government land, illegally constructing developments in his name worth billions of rupees at the expense of the national exchequer.
“Only on Thursday night, the Anti-Corruption Establishment, Punjab, raided the residence of Mr Khan in Rawalpindi but he was not there,” said an official. The FIA was made aware of a possible move by the senator to ‘flee the country’, and he was arrested at the airport by the FIA immigration team.
In 2020, the Walayat Complex, a 64-kanal plaza owned by Tanvir, was sealed by the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) and revenue department. The complaint alleges he built a house, commercial buildings, and wedding hall marquees on the encroached land. During the RDA’s operation, various marquees at the plaza were sealed, and one wall of Tanveer’s house was demolished.
In his defence, Tanvir claimed that the district administration had taken the action without any prior notice and said that there was ample proof the incident was driven by ‘political victimization’.
Tanvir will be transferred into the custody of the anti-corruption agency on Saturday, officials reported.
