The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday summoned former finance minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shaukat Tarin in a case relating to his "leaked" audio conversation with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Finance Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra regarding the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.
The agency instructed Tarin to appear before the watchdog in person on Wednesday. “In case of non-appearance, it will be assumed that you [Tarin] have nothing to present or state in your defence," the FIA wrote in the notice.
Last month, the audio clip went viral on social media, in which Tarin can be heard asking Jhagra to inform the federal government and the IMF that KP would not be able to commit to a provincial budget surplus due to recent floods in the country. Ensuring provincial surpluses is a major requirement of an earlier agreement with the global lender for reviving the programme.
Later, the federal government termed the conversation a conspiracy to derail the country’s loan deal with the international financial institution.
The agency instructed Tarin to appear before the watchdog in person on Wednesday. “In case of non-appearance, it will be assumed that you [Tarin] have nothing to present or state in your defence," the FIA wrote in the notice.
Last month, the audio clip went viral on social media, in which Tarin can be heard asking Jhagra to inform the federal government and the IMF that KP would not be able to commit to a provincial budget surplus due to recent floods in the country. Ensuring provincial surpluses is a major requirement of an earlier agreement with the global lender for reviving the programme.
Later, the federal government termed the conversation a conspiracy to derail the country’s loan deal with the international financial institution.