In and ongoing harassment and blackmail case between actress Momina Iqbal and Pakistani Politician Saqib Chadhar, the counsel for the actress, Adnan Ehsan, has claimed that Momina’s sister Rimsha Iqbal has left for Australia to pursue legal remedy against a petition allegedly filed by the Politician in Australia.
The move comes weeks after an FIR was registered against the MPA at the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Lahore.
According to the application, Saqib said he had longstanding family relations with Rimsha Iqbal’s family. He alleged that Rimsha requested him to transfer Rs8 million to her bank account as a “trust amount” required for processing an Australian visa, assuring him that the money would be returned after completion of the visa process.
Speaking on the latest turn in the case, Advocate Adnan Ehsan stated that Rimsha Iqbal, who is also a lawyer and had been representing her sister before the Punjab Bar Council and in related proceedings, had departed for Australia in recent days.
According to the lawyer, MPA Saqib Chadhar has filed a separate petition / complaint against Rimsha Iqbal in Australia, and Rimsha has travelled there to face the proceedings and present her defence.
Chadhar had also alleged that at Momina Iqbal’s request he had paid AUD 13,000 for Rimsha Iqbal’s university fees and later paid another AUD 10,000 after alleged blackmail. He further claimed Rs 8.3 million was transferred to Momina Iqbal’s account at different times.
Rimsha Iqbal has denied all allegations as baseless. Appearing before the Punjab Bar Council’s disciplinary committee last month, where the Council barred both sides’ counsels – Advocate Rimsha Iqbal and MPA’s counsel Mian Ali Ashfaq – from discussing the case in media, Rimsha stated she stood by her sister and that the allegations were baseless. She informed the committee that she was studying in Australia and worked additional hours alongside her studies.
The court has directed the NCCIA to submit its complete investigation report at the next hearing.