Monitoring Desk: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan has finally registered a case against the culprits involved in a Rs. 1.24 billion fraud at the state-run news agency, APP.
Accused included two former Executive Directors of APP Adnan Akram Bajwa and Muhammad Ghawas Khan and also former Director of Chinese Desk Furqan Rao.
In March 2025, APP approached the court for registration of the case against several of its employees accused of embezzling public funds worth over a billion rupees.
APP had completed its internal investigation in November 2024, and the Auditor General of Pakistan also confirmed the fraud. However, the swindlers were considered too powerful to be held accountable at that time.
In March 2025, APP filed a petition before the sessions court. Additional District and Sessions Judge Sheikh Sohail issued a notice to the FIA for April 7.
Court records revealed a shocking scandal at APP involving over Rs. 1.24 billion. A fact-finding committee, constituted by APP management, uncovered widespread financial irregularities, including the misappropriation of funds from the Employees Related Expenses (ERE) and Provident Fund (PF) accounts.
The committee, formed on June 24, 2024, submitted its report to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, recommending that the case be forwarded to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) or the FIA for further legal action. It found that Rs. 1.24 billion had been embezzled through unauthorized transactions, misuse of authority, and violations of financial rules.
The committee also discovered that crucial financial documents—including cash books, salary/pension credit sheets, and master ledgers for 2021–2023—were missing. The destruction of these records was allegedly orchestrated by former officials. The report revealed that millions of rupees were illegally transferred into the personal bank accounts of APP officials.
For example, one official transferred Rs. 4.7 million into his personal account, while another transferred Rs. 15.4 million from the ERE account to his personal account. The committee also uncovered illegal transfers from the PF account, amounting to Rs. 910.4 million, diverted into various personal accounts without authorization.
In total, 16 prime accused were identified, including former executives, managers, and clerks. The list included an ex-executive director, ex-cashier, and ex-manager of accounts.
The fact-finding committee urged authorities to forward the case to NAB or the FIA for thorough investigation and legal proceedings. It also recommended a detailed audit of the accused’s bank accounts and assets to recover the stolen funds, along with stricter financial controls and proper handover procedures for key positions such as executive director and manager accounts to prevent future fraud.
After almost a year of delay, on August 6, 2025, the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting finally took notice of the case. The committee appreciated APP Managing Director Muhammad Asim Khichi for exposing the scam but expressed concern that no case had been registered against the culprits until now.
The mega corruption case was also highlighted in the Commercial Audit Reports of 2023–24 and 2025–26. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had issued directions to the FIA and APP management to recover the embezzled funds. However, both the police and the FIA were reluctant to act against the culprits, who allegedly threatened MD Asim Khichi with dire consequences.
During an open Kacheri with police officials, some APP employees raised the issue, after which police pursued a threat case. Still, the FIA refrained from registering a fraud case. Insiders claim the culprits have strong networks within the FIA, Islamabad Police, and even the Ministry of Information, which explains the delay.
Asim Khichi, a career bureaucrat, exposed corruption exceeding Rs. 1.5 billion after taking charge of APP. He acted swiftly against the accused, most of whom were APP employees working in collaboration with outsiders.
Due to their political connections and deep-rooted networks within the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the accused were long considered “untouchable.” However, Khichi gathered documented proof of their corruption and pursued formal registration of cases.
The cases involve 20 fake recruitments and Rs. 1.5 billion in corruption linked to alleged ringleader Arshad Majeed. His son, Chavez Arshad, reportedly threatened witnesses with violence. A month ago, a complaint was filed against him at Aabpara Police Station, but the SHO failed to act—allegedly due to pressure from the mafia or bribery.
DIG Islamabad, Syed Ali Raza, has now assured immediate action against Chavez Arshad, who threatened to kill MD Muhammad Asim Khichi and bomb his family. Chavez also repeatedly attempted to attack the APP legal team in court with the help of hired goons.
MD APP Asim Khichi filed a complaint at Aabpara Police Station on December 12, 2024, and submitted several follow-up reminders. However, the SHO displayed extreme negligence and failed to take any action.
