ISLAMABAD: Police in Pakistan’s garrison city of Rawalpindi arrested one of former prime minister Imran Khan’s close aids shortly after he was released from prison in a high-profile case on Wednesday in which the country’s top court had granted him bail last week.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a former foreign minister and vice-chairman of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was incarcerated at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail where he was facing a prison trial with the ex-premier on charges of leaking state secrets.
The case against him and Khan pertains to an alleged diplomatic correspondence between Washington and Islamabad that Khan says was proof that his ouster as PM in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in April 2022 was part of a US conspiracy to remove him. Washington has repeatedly denied the accusation.
Earlier, Qureshi was detained for 15 days under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law after a notification was circulated by the Deputy Commissioner of Rawalpindi, though the PTI said the instruction was later rescinded.
“This treatment of an internationally respected senior politician with unparalleled service to Pakistan is a sign of the cowardice of the ruling elite,” the party said in a social media post in which it shared the video of Qureshi’s arrest. “The law has been turned into a joke and the basic constitutional rights of citizens are being blatantly violated.”
The PTI has said its leaders have been deliberately targeted by the state that wants to eliminate the party from the country’s political landscape ahead of the general elections in February.
It has also complained that its candidates have found it difficult to file their nomination papers in different parts of Pakistan while calling for “level playing field” to ensure fair and transparent national polls.
As Qureshi was taken to the prison van, he pleaded innocent in all the cases against him.
“The Supreme Court order has been mocked,” he said before sitting in the police vehicle. “The Supreme Court released me and they are arresting me again in a false case. I have represented the nation. I am innocent. And I am being targeted for political revenge.”
It was widely reported by the local media that Qureshi was arrested for interrogation in the May 9 case, referring to the incident when violence broke out in different parts of Pakistan when former prime minister Khan was briefly arrested from a court on graft charges.
Hundreds of people carrying PTI flags targeted government buildings – including a top general’s residence in Lahore and the army headquarters in Rawalpindi – and indulged in rioting and arson activities.
The PTI also faced a massive crackdown after the incident, with several of its top leaders quitting the party after being arrested by the law enforcement authorities.
Police in Pakistan re-arrest ex-PM Khan’s aide immediately after release from Rawalpindi jail
https://arab.news/b8puw
Police in Pakistan re-arrest ex-PM Khan’s aide immediately after release from Rawalpindi jail
- Supreme Court granted bail to Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the state secrets case in which he was tried with Khan in prison
- PTI vice-chairman calls himself innocent while saying he was taken into custody again in a ‘false case’ for political reasons
Pakistan launches privatization process for five power distributors under IMF reforms
- Power-sector losses have pushed circular debt above $9 billion, official documents show
- Move is tied to IMF and World Bank conditions aimed at cutting subsidies and fiscal risk
KARACHI: Pakistan has appointed financial advisers and launched sell-side due diligence for the privatization of five electricity distribution companies, marking a long-awaited step in power-sector reforms tied to International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank programs, according to official documents shared with media on Monday.
The five companies, namely Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO), Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO), Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO), Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) and Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO), supply electricity to tens of millions of customers and have long been a major source of financial losses for the state.
Pakistan’s power sector has accumulated more than Rs2.6 trillion (about $9.3 billion) in circular debt as of mid-2025, driven largely by distribution losses, electricity theft and weak bill recovery, according to official government data cited in the documents. The shortfall has repeatedly forced the government to provide subsidies, adding pressure to public finances in an economy under IMF supervision.
“The objective is to reduce losses, improve efficiency and limit the government’s fiscal exposure by transferring electricity distribution operations to the private sector,” the documents said, adding that sell-side due diligence for five distribution companies is under way as a prerequisite for investor engagement.
Two utilities, the Quetta Electric Supply Company and Tribal Areas Electric Supply Company, are excluded from the current privatization phase due to security and structural constraints, the documents said.
Power-sector reform is a central pillar of Pakistan’s IMF bailout program, under which Islamabad has committed to restructuring state-owned enterprises, improving governance and reducing budgetary support. The World Bank has also linked future energy-sector financing to progress on structural reforms.
Electricity distribution companies in Pakistan routinely report losses exceeding 20 percent of supplied power, far above international benchmarks, according to official figures. These inefficiencies have been a persistent obstacle to economic growth, investment and reliable power supply.
Previous attempts to privatize power distributors have stalled amid political resistance, labor union opposition and concerns over tariff increases. While officials have not announced a timeline for completing transactions, the launch of due diligence marks the most concrete step taken in years. International lenders and investors will now be closely watching whether Pakistan can translate this phase into completed sales, a key test of its ability to deliver on IMF-backed reforms.
In a related development in Pakistan’s privatization agenda, the government last month concluded the long-delayed sale of a 75 percent stake in national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in a publicly televised auction. A consortium led by the Arif Habib Group emerged as the highest bidder with a Rs135 billion ($482 million) offer for the controlling stake, in a transaction officials have said will end decades of state-funded bailouts and inject fresh capital into the loss-making airline.
