ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar has removed Texas based Pakistani-American businessman Muhammad Tahir from the post of Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM).
According to a notification issued by the PM Office here, the appointment notification of the SAPM Mohammad Tahir Javed has been taken back. The notification to appoint Tahir Javed as Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Investment was issued on October 6 but the decision was taken to remove him after lobbying by a group of American Pakistanis, according to sources.
PM House sources said that PM Kakar took action after it was reported in US and Pakistani media that Tahir Javed has a previous conviction for theft which he hid and didn’t declare. It was also reported that Tahir Javed was a diehard supporter of Imran Khan and gave him money before turning against him.
The Establishment Division Islamabad after the approval of the Prime Minister has withdrawn the notification for the appointment of Tahir Javed as Special Assistant.
Soon after his appointment, it was reported that Pakistani-American businessman Muhammad Tahir Javed had had been given the same perks and privileges as the minister of state for Tahir Javed despite the fact that he had donated money to and campaigned for Imran Khan and the PTI in the United States while he was prime minister.
Tahir Javed, 57, moved to the US from Toba Tek Singh in Pakistan with just $500 and became a successful businessman. According to his interviews, Tahir Javed did senatorial duties and worked as a repairman, besides other jobs after initially moving to the US.
According to court records of Texas, Tahir Javed was sentenced to serve five years of deferred probation beginning in January 1992 for felony theft dating back to September 1990. He was sentenced for five years but served only half of that term. Authorities in Texas had prosecuted him for theft and a minimum sentence for felony starts from a year.
After needing his theft sentence in 1994, Tahir Javed focussed on business and with help from his brother he progressed and went on to set up several companies.
Texas Jefferson County’s District Criminal Court data records Muhammad Tahir Javed’s felony theft as Cause: 56447; offence date: 25 September 1990, Beaumont Tx; filing date: 5 November 1990; offence description, theft by receiving; probation amount: 5; and description: P/G Judge; and Deferred Completed: 28th of March 1994.”
In July 2017, Javed was warned of criminal prosecution, ceizure or injunction by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The warning was issued over his Royal Smoke LL, an online purveyor of tobacco and tobacco related products. At the same time, Royal Smoke was subjected to government intervention.
“FDA has determined that Royal Smoke products are misbranded…because you sold these products to persons under 18 years of age,” an FDA warning letter to Javed said. Javed Tahir was additionally cautioned against labelling and advertising outside the scope of the law and barring corrective measures could face criminal prosecution. Tahir Javed describes himself as a Pakistani American entrepreneur, investor, business magnate, and philanthropist on his social media profiles.
Tahir Javed campaigned for Imran Khan and the PTI while the party was in power but he became a fierce critic of Imran Khan in recent months, calling Imran Khan a failure as PM whose only claim to fame is his celebrity status as a cricketer. He said in a recent interview that he did his best for Imran Khan and campaigned for him, especially during Khan’s visit to the USA in November 2019 but it turned out that Imran Khan was not trustworthy.
He has said that Imran Khan’s visit to the US was a waste because it didn’t materialise into any success or benefits for Pakistan because Imran Khan had no substance, no plan and no vision.
But when Imran Khan was in power, Tahir Javed publicly complimented Imran Khan for his “successful” US visit and for highlighting important issues. In November 2019, Imran Khan especially paid tribute to Tahir Javed for his services, saying “Tahir Javed has been instrumental in setting up a Pakistan Congress Foundation that has played a key role in revival and activation of Congressional Pakistan Caucus at the 116th Congress”.
Tahir Javed has boasted that he personally arranged Imran Khan’s meetings with over 63 US Senators during his visit. PTI has said that Tahir Javed managed only three Senators while the remaining were brought by the efforts of the Embassy and the then government. In these pictures, Tahir Javed was seen standing next to Imran Khan during these meetings in the USA and the two also met at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington at the conclusion of the visit too.
In 2018, Muhammad Tahir Javed stood in US Primary Elections to represent Texas District 29 in Congress. His campaign manifesto stated that he “understands the problems facing the district and the country, and the experience and desire to get things done”.
He had sought to replace Democrat Gene Green, who had served as the Texas District 29 Rep since the district was created in 1993. He lost the election to the veteran Democrat candidate.
