Focus on Nawaz’s case instead of mine, Hareem to Akbar

LONDON: Following the decision of the Pakistan government to initiate a money-laundering probe against TikTok star Hareem Shah, the social media sensation has urged Prime Minister's aide on accountability Shahzad Akber to "focus on PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif's case instead of wasting time probing her," Geo News reported Sunday.

Talking to Geo News in London, Hareem Shah said that Nawaz Sharif is "enjoying his life here in London and going to restaurants but Shahzad Akbar could not do anything to bring him back to Pakistan."

The TikTok star went on to say that "only proof related to money laundering cases will work here in the courts of London against me, and not empty talks," adding that, “I am not scared of cases, however, I can reveal more secrets and facts.”

She further shed light on her earlier statement related to Pakistan’s passport ranking, saying that "I had only spoken the truth about the Pakistani passport." Due to the incompetency of the incumbent government, the value of the Pakistani passport, as well as its currency, continues to lose its value, she added.

The social media sensation further said, “I am ready to coordinate with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and authorities in London regarding the alleged money laundering case against me.”

In a bid to mock Pakistani authorities, she said: “I think officials here in London do not bother to read letters from Pakistan, they simply throw them in the dustbin." It should be recalled that last week, the FIA had decided to write a letter to the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency (NCA) to take action against Hareem Shah after she posted a video in which she could be seen flashing stacks of British pounds.

She not only flaunted the money but claimed that she "successfully transported the money from Pakistan to the UK" as against the law. On the occasion, British-Pakistani businessman and Hareem’s foster brother Daniyal Malik said: "I have personally contacted Scotland yard and told them about Hareem Shah staying in London and the money- laundering case but the police showed no interest."

It is worth mentioning here that on January 10, 2022, the TikToker had uploaded a video on social media in which she could be seen flaunting stacks of British pounds. After her video went viral, Shahzad Akbar spoke about the ongoing controversy surrounding Shah and had said that "money laundering is not a subject that one can joke about."

Akbar, while addressing a press conference in Lahore, had said that the FIA had taken notice of Shah's video and launched an inquiry into the matter. He said that the controversial video had also been shared with a British probe agency.

Following the FIA's decision to launch a money-laundering probe against Shah, she had later retracted the statement about carrying money abroad. Later on, Daniyal Malik, who is a British-Pakistani businessman and former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) candidate for the 2018 elections, had come forward to defend Shah, saying that the money shown in the video belonged to him and she was only making a "fun video."