Senator’s son booked for holding FBR team at gunpoint

ISLAMABAD: A sitting senator’s son along with his accomplices physically blocked the raiding team of the FBR at gunpoint, which had confiscated record from a factory located at Peshawar's Hayatabad area facing allegations of tax evasion.

According to submitted report sent out by FBR’s Director Intelligence & Investigation (I&I) Inland Revenues (IR) Peshawar to FBR’s Headquarters Islamabad as well as FIR registered by Peshawar police at Hayatabad, on receipt of a credible information regarding tax evasion, a team comprising the officers and staff of Peshawar Directorate was authorised under section 175 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 to visit the manufacturing premises/head offices of M/s Vincraft (Pvt) Limited, M/s MKB Industries (Pvt) Limited and M/s MKB Pharmaceuticals (Pvt) Limited. 

Accordingly the investigating team visited the head offices/manufacturing premises of M/s MKB Pharmaceuticals (Pvt) Limited on 17.02.2017 at around 12.30 PM.  The team conducted search and certain record/computers were examined which were subsequently handed over by taxpayer to the investigating team for detailed examination by the Directorate against proper acknowledgment.

According to FIR as well as FBR report, when these records/documents were uploaded into the government vehicle, some unscrupulous elements including Malik Niaz and Ghazanfar Bilour came with armed men along with Klashinkovs into the premises of factory and forcibly stopped the officers and held them for one and a half hours. 

“They further threatened the undersigned and my accompanying team members comprising three officers and four sepoys and physically blocked our exit along with the company record with the help of their armed personnel who were three in number. It is most probable that the Director of the said company had informed the mentioned intruders for assistance in order to prevent the investigating team from carrying out our legal duty,” said the report.

There was a verbal brawl in which the deputy director told Ghazanfar Bilour that he had visited the factory under the law passed by the Parliament and that they should amend the law if they wanted to prevent such visits in future. He asked for the team's authorisation which was shown to him in the form of received/send notices under section 175 signed by the Director and duly received by the company representative.

The FIR further states that in the meanwhile Malik Niaz continued to use abusive and threatening language.  The FBR director also informed the FBR Headquarters that the visiting team was unarmed and were therefore retained in the factory with the help of gunmen armed with Klashinkovs. 

Ghazanfar Bilour had also physically blocked the path of the official vehicle with his Land Cruiser No IDM 674 also carrying the word senator over the number plate. The Hayatabad police under the charge of SHO Sardar Hussain arrived there at around 4.30 PM and diffused the very explosive situation and the team was able to bring the record and computers along.

Later, the deputy director filed a complaint before the SHO, which was forwarded by the director for lodging of FIR. Accordingly, the FIR was lodged on the same day on 17.02.2017 by quoting all relevant sections of PPC. Further progress regarding investigation proceedings and examination of record will be intimated in due course of time.