Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: On the request of FIA, the court has granted four day physical remand in respect of four persons including one officer of National Agriculture Research Council (NARC) accused in cultivating olive plants illegally.

Inspector Afzal Khan Niazi of FIA Special Investigation Unit (SIU) presented all the four accused including Waqar Jamshed, Qatran Abu Bakr, Khaista Khan and Tahir Jamshed in the court of Senior Civil Judge Abdul Ghafoor Kakar.

He took the plea that the accused have confessed during preliminary investigation that as many as 420,000 plants of olive were to be cultivated in Punjab, KP and Islamabad and under this head Rs 106.4 million have been got transferred in five installments to the account of Razia Begum mother of accounts officer Tahir Jamshed.

He requested the court to grant 10 days physical remand of the accused for further investigation from them.

Navid Mughal counsel for the accused said FIA extracts everything within one or two days. What is held by these persons that 10 days physical remand is being sought.

The court granted physical remand for four days.

Well-placed sources said that the accused Tahir Jamshed had indicated to FIA presence of more groups in NARC. In the light of his disclosure FIA is likely to launch country wide operation soon to arrest more officers from NARC and other parts of the country.

FIA sources said amount has been deposited in the bank account of Razia Begum in five installments and access has been made to her bank accounts. However arrest of the accused persons has yet to be made.

The possibility is there that more persons from Manzil group and Khaista Khan Enterprises will be arrested and scope of investigation will be extended.

Further investigation is being made from the persons which have been arrested by FIA under FIR 1/17. According to sources interior ministry has directed FIA to take stern action for nabbing the groups besides seeking report thereof within a few days.