Monitoring Desk: After almost a year, the issue of the mega corruption scam of 1.24 billion rupees in the state-run news agency APP has received the attention of decision makers, as the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ataullah Tarar, has promised the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting during a meeting held on Wednesday in Islamabad. that he would persoanlly follow the case now.
He gave this response to a question raised by Senator Sarmad Ali, who asked why no FIR had been lodged even after more than ten months of the exposure of the Rs1.24 billion scam.
It may be mentioned that the Managing Director of APP, Muhammad Asim Khichi, had uncovered a major scam involving misappropriation of Rs 1.24 billion provident fund (PF) and employee-related expenses (ERE) in the organization. The mega corruption scam was duly endorsed in the Commercial Audit Report 2023-24 and 2025-26. Moreover, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had also issued directions to the FIA and the organisation to recover the under-questioned funds.
The meeting was chaired by Senator Barrister Ali Zafar and attended by Senators Irfan Siddiqui, Pervaiz Rashid, Jan Mohammad Belaidi, Syed Waqar Mehdi, and senior officials from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, including Secretary Ambreen Jan and Additional Secretary Ashfaq Khalil.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Senator Syed Waqar Mehdi said he would raise the matter in the Senate. He said the delay in registering the case was concerning, especially when the APP administration had already submitted documentary evidence to the FIA.
It is pertinent to mention that MD Asim Khichi received life threats from culprits in the past, while the police were reluctant to arrest the goons who were after Asim Khichi. In an open Kachary of the Police official, the matter was raised by some APP employees, then the Police followed a threat case.
Insiders claim that culprits have a powerful grid spreading in FIA, Islamabad Police, and even the Ministry of Information, which is why FIA has not been registered against them.
Asim Khachi, a career bureaucrat, unearthed corruption of over Rs. 1.5 billion in the state-run News Agency Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) after taking charge of the organization, and he took swift action against culprits who are mostly employees of the APP, but they also collaborated with outsiders for mega corruption.
Having the political linkages and deep-rooted networking within the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the accused were considered ‘beyond the reach of anybody’ and were confident that nobody would dare to put a hand on them. However, Asim Kitchi not only gathered documented proof of their corruption but also moved ahead with the registration of cases against them.
The cases are related to 20 fake recruitments and 1.5 billion rupees in corruption against alleged ringleader Arshad Majeed, whose son, Chavez Arshad, started making threats and public attacks with goons against witnesses. A month ago, a complaint was filed against the accused in the Aabpara police station. The SHO did not take any action due to pressure from the mafia or because his fist was hot. DIG Islamabad Syed Ali Raza has now assured immediate action against the accused Chavez Arshad, who threatened to kill Muhammad Asim Khachi and bomb his family.
Chavez Arshad, the son of Arshad Majeed, threatened to kill MD Muhammad Asim Khachi and blow up his family with a bomb, and asked to close the inquiry immediately. In court, Chavez Arshad tried to attack the APP legal team along with the gangsters several times. MD APP Muhammad Asim Khachi applied for action at Aabpara police station on December 12, 2024, and after that, he also made repeated reminders, but the SHO of Aabpara police station showed extreme negligence and carelessness and did not pay any attention.
