NAB arrests Fawad Chaudhry in corruption case

• NAB chairman signs Fawad's arrest warrant. 
• Fawad to be presented before court now. 
• NAB arrests former minister from Adiala jail.

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Saturday arrested former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry in a corruption case, Geo News reported. 

NAB Chairman Lt-Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmed Butt had signed an arrest warrant for Chaudhry after which he was taken into custody from Adiala jail — where he was incarcerated in a fraud case. 

According to the warrant, the former information minister was arrested in a corruption case and will be produced before the court. 

The politico's wife, Hiba Chaudhry, confirmed that Fawad Chaudhary's arrest warrant has been issued. 

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Hiba posted a picture of the warrant which read "Fawad Chaudhry is accused of commission of the offence of corruption and corrupt practices under section 9(a) of NAO, 1999".

Fawad was arrested from his Islamabad residence on November 4 (Saturday) after a complaint was filed against him in Islamabad's Aabpara Police Station for taking a Rs5 million bribe in exchange for a job. 

Hiba had previously had claimed that Fawad was arrested without any reason. “Fawad has been arrested and taken to an unknown place,” she said.

In January, too, Fawad was arrested from his residence after he publicly "threatened" the members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in a media talk outside former PTI chief Imran Khan's residence in Zaman Park. However, the then-coalition government said it had no hand in the politician's arrest.

The politician, in June this year, issued an apology to the electoral watchdog for allegedly using “intemperate” language targeting the ECP and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja.

Fawad was also among the thousands of party workers and leaders who were arrested during the crackdown on the PTI since May 9 for the party’s alleged involvement in the riots that claimed at least eight lives and injured dozens of others.

In June, the former minister was among the PTI leaders who were present during the launching ceremony of the Istihkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), which is headed by Khan's close political aide Jahangir Tareen.