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ISLAMABAD: Advisor to the Prime Minister on Interior and Accountability, Mirza Shahzad Akbar Saturday said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif and his family had 48 bank accounts, while Rs507 million were deposited in the family’s joint account from 2009 to date.

Speaking at a presser along with Usman Dar, special assistant to the prime minister on youth affairs, Shahzad said that like his leader Nawaz Sharif, Asif also used TTs (telegraphic transfers) for money laundering.

He continued that Ishaq Dar, a former finance minister who has been declared a proclaimed offender by a local court, also used the same medium for money laundering.

He said that Maryam Safdar, the daughter of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif, had also received Rs800 million through TTs.

Akbar said Asif was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for his non-cooperation with the top anti-graft body, adding his arrest was done as per law, and linking it with so-called political victimization is jut a propaganda.

Giving details of Asif’s assets beyond means, the adviser said that in 1993, the PML-N leader had only Rs5.1 million assets that too were in the shape of his inherited house.

“The declared assets of Asif touched Rs118 million mark in 2013 but on query he failed to explain any legitimate reason of the increase in assets,” he added.

Asif had been receiving Rs2.2 million per month salary from a Dubai-based company during his stint as defence minister from 2013-18.

He claimed receiving a sum of Rs140 million in five years as salary in cash.

Khawaja Asif was perhaps world’s only employee who received millions in cash as salary, he said, adding later transferred that amount from his Dubai account to Pakistan through Telegraphic Transfers (TTs) which shows it was not legitimate source of income.

Besides, the salary payment to Asif was stopped with the completion of the five years term of (PML-N) Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

Khawaja Asif purchased a plot worth Rs80 million in Gujranwala in September 2014, and sold it out to the same party after a few months but this time at an exorbitant rate of Rs400 million.

Asif also claimed selling a plot adjacent to his home in Sialkot at Rs125 million, he

said, adding the cheque of the sale agreement was showing November 28, 2018 as date of payment.

“After investigation it was revealed that the same cheque was bogus as it was issued by the relevant bank three months after the sale deed. Interestingly, the sold plot is still in his possession,” he added.

Another Rs150 million transaction of rice export was proved bogus. Khawaja failed to explain the source of that transaction, he added.

“No source was explained of the transactions of Rs507 million from the year 2009 to 2018,” he added.

Akbar said under the law, unexplained wealth of a public office holder was perceived to be corruption.

Responding to a question, he lauded the performance of the NAB for making record recoveries as compared to recoveries made during the PML-N regime by the same NAB.

To a question, he said an inquiry committee headed by an SSP rank official has been constituted to probe Islamabad incident in which the police allegedly killed a student the other day.

Judicial inquiry of the same case could also be conducted if required, he said, adding he has recommended legislation for improving performance of the Islamabad Police.

Dispelling the impression that the government was committing political victimization of its opponents, Usman Dar said the investigation, carried out by the departments concerned including the NAB and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had completely exposed the corruption of Khawaja Asif.

He said if that was the political victimization then it could have done some two and half years ago when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf came into power. He expressed optimism that investigation of the concerned agencies would surely bring more evidences before the nation about the corruption committed by Khawaja Asif.

Recalling his legal conflict against Asif, Dar said he had moved to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against him and submitted a copy of his contract with a United Arab Emirates-based private company to the Islamabad High Court that led to his disqualification, but he got relief from the apex court due to various reasons.

Dar said there would be no such example in the world that a defence minister of a country had a contract with a foreign company and drawing 50,000 dirham salary per month.

This could only happen in Pakistan where people like Khawaja Asif considered themselves above the law.

Usman Dar reiterated Prime Minister Imran Khan’s stance that the corrupt leaders would not get NRO-like concession under his rule. He said the opposition only wanted to evade the accountability process as it did during the FATF legislation by proposing amendments in the NAB ordinance.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021

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