Punjab Assembly Secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti was on Monday arrested by the law enforcement agencies, sources told.
Sources privy to the matter said he was taken into custody while he was travelling to the Sindh High Court for bail with his legal advisor Amir Saeed Rawn.
Mr Bhatti is considered a close confidante of former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Parvez Elahi. Mr Elahi, while reacting to the arrest, said he was afraid that Mr Bhatti might go missing. “Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah should take notice of the unlawful arrest”, he added. He questioned what message was to be conveyed by arresting a Punjab-based former government official in Sindh.
Earlier, the federal investigation agency’s (FIA) anti money-laundering circle lodged cases against Mr Bhatti and eight others for allegedly taking bribes to award high-ranking posts.
The case, while nominating sub divisional officer (SDO) Rana Muhammad Iqbal and others, stated that the SDO had been bribing Mr Bhatti for several years [to maintain his post]. “Several other officers work for Mr Bhatti and dupe the national exchequer to bribe him”, the report added. PTI leader Moonis Elahi and former Punjab Chief Minister Afzal Sahi, the report stated, accompanied Mr Bhatti while receiving money.
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