LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has accused the trio of former prime minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and her friend Farah Gogi of making billions of rupees during the tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
Addressing a news conference alongside PML-N leader Uzma Bukhari here on Sunday, Punjab government spokesperson Attaullah Tarar said the alleged corruption of the trio stated in 2019 when then PM Imran Khan gave a relief worth Rs320 million to Ahsan Jamil Gujjar – Farah Gogi’s husband – under an amnesty scheme.
He said the former PM gave the relief due to his personal relations and friendship between Bushra and Farah. He claimed that Imran Niazi and his family continued to carry out the corruption throughout the PTI’s tenure. “Commission and kickbacks were given while new records of corruption were made during PTI’s tenure,” he added.
According to Tarar, Farah Gogi used Bushra Bibi’s influence for transfers and postings in Punjab, adding that Ahsan Jamil Gujjar and Farah Gogi own assets worth Rs10 billion. “The assets that were in millions are now in billions,” he said, adding that they should tell the poor Pakistani people how they earned billions of rupees assets so that the people could use their knowledge to come out of poverty,” he demanded. During the conference, the Punjab government spokesperson also played an audio tape allegedly a conversation between a business tycoon and his daughter, revealing how Farah demanded a gift for Bushra Bibi, the ex-first lady.
The unidentified woman in the conversation says to her father that Farah Gogi allegedly demanded a precious diamond gift for the ex-first lady in return for ‘removing locks’ on a project site and withdrawing a report against her father.
It was revealed during that discussion that Farah Gogi earlier had rejected a three-carat diamond sent by the daughter of the business tycoon as unworthy and unsuitable for the first lady, who she allegedly said routinely wore such things, and asked for a five-carat diamond. The lady could be heard telling her father how Farah taunted her for sending “only a five-carat diamond ring”. She also promised that the former premier would overturn measures against the projects of the business tycoon if a “more valuable gift was offered”.
PML-N senior leader Attaullah Tarar claimed that ex-premier Imran Khan has never declared his assets and no one knows how he earns his living. “Officers in Punjab were appointed after taking bribes while the CM Secretariat was used for this purpose,” he said, adding that Bushra Bibi wanted to make money by using her husband. “Farah Gogi virtually ruled the entire Pakistan during these years.”
According to Tarar, the former premier misused his authority on the directions of his wife Bushra, adding that the trio of Imran Khan, Bushra and Farah Gogi made billions or rupees by selling diamonds in Dubai which were purchased with the “bribe money”. He said Imran Khan himself used to raise slogans against others for corruption but he has not been able to give a money trail yet.
He alleged that mafias continued to grow under the leadership of Imran Khan and he must respond to the allegations. He said it is “clear” in the audio leak how Farah Gogi made assets worth billions as it can be clearly heard that she is asking for a five-carat diamond and refused the three-carat. He emphasized that this was just one case and there are many such diamonds which were used to make the black money white.
He said that Farah Gogi left Pakistan as soon as she realised that she was about to get into trouble and Imran Khan helped her in fleeing the country. Uzma Bukhari said that her party knew about the misconduct of the PTI government and now proofs are being surfaced for everyone to see. “The audiotape has revealed just one case (of bribery) but it is not the entire story. Its only a trailer of a film,” she added. She further said that Imran Khan had kept two “front women” to hide his corruption, adding that there is a saying that there is a woman behind the success of every man but in Imran Khan’s case there were two women.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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