Former president Asif Ali Zardari's sister Faryal Talpur Saturday asked for more time to appear before a joint investigation team (JIT) in a money laundering case against the two siblings.

Zardari and Talpur were summoned by FIA's commercial banking circle.  

Prior to this, the FIA had declared former president Zardari and his sister Talpur absconders in the case.

Earlier, on July 12, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to summon Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, and his sister Faryal Talpur in the money-laundering scam after the upcoming general elections.

Before elections, Farooq Naek, senior PPP leader and Zardari's counsel, appeared before the Supreme Court. 

Then the Chief Justice stated that Zardari and Talpur will not be summoned in person before elections and the Court have not any brother-sister duo placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) [as reports had stated earlier]. 

The two-member bench observed that since Zardari is just a suspect, he could not be placed on the ECL. 

Later on, the hearing was adjourned till August 6. 

Prior to that, on July 11, Former president Asif Ali Zardari submitted his reply before the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) via his legal team pertaining to the Rs 35 billion money-laundering scam.

According to the reply, which has been submitted, Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur will appear before the Investigative Agency after the July 25 general elections as both are contesting in the upcoming polls. 

On July 6, the FIA arrested Stock Exchange of Pakistan chairman Hussain Lawai, who is considered to be a close friend of Zardari. The FIA officials maintain that 32 people, including Lawai, are being investigated for laundering billions of rupees through fictitious bank accounts.

Earlier, the FIA had registered a case in Karachi over a money-laundering scandal of Rs 35 billion said to implicate politicians, businessmen and bankers.

Moreover the FIA has constituted a seven-member joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the matter. The team will be headed by Addition Director General FIA Dr Najaf Mirza.

The JIT includes Director FIA Punjab Dr Usman Anwar, Director FIA Sindh Muneer Ahmed Sheikh, Additional Director Banking Circle Karachi Faizullah Korejo, Deputy Director FIA Sindh Ali Mardan Khoso and two deputy directors of FIA Punjab, Chaudhry Mohammad Ahmed and Khalid Anis.

The JIT team will be able to get assistance from any additional member and will probe fake bank accounts.

The probe was started by the Investigation Agency when the financial monitoring unit of the State Bank of Pakistan generated a 'suspicious transaction report' in January this year regarding ten bank accounts.

According to the details almost 20 'benami' accounts at a private bank were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees' were made. The amount, according to the FIA, is said to be black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes.

However, despite these huge transactions, the bank authorities never reported them to the authorities concerned including the FIA. 

On July 8, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered to place the names of heads of three private banks involved in the scam on the ECL. The order came as Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, took notice of the slow pace of inquiry into the case.

Then, the Supreme Court has summoned seven fake bank account holders and 13 beneficiaries on July 12.