Current Final

Tag: NAB

  • Moonis bought benami Spanish properties on same day father Pervaiz Elahi became CM

    Chaudhry Moonis Elahi purchased several properties in Spain on the day his father, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, took oath as Chief Minister (CM) Punjab on July 27 last year.

    Writing for The News, Umer Cheema has revealed that this information has been obtained by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from Spanish authorities.

    Moonis confirmed holding benami properties in Spain, which includes an apartment, a Range Rover and a company among the newly made assets apart from a bank account and previously incorporated companies.

    Moonis admitted to their ownership and said he would declare them in his next year’s tax return. He said it was nothing more than a coincidence that the purchase of properties occurred on the day his father took the oath.

    National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore had written a letter to the authorities in Spain for an ongoing investigation of alleged corruption, looting and ill-gotten properties against the family.

    It has been found that Barcelo hotel in Barcelona is also owned by Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi family, while another multi-story plaza is also said to be owned by Elahi family—with a person named Saqib Tahir appointed as caretaker, reports Samaa News.

    The Canary Islands in Spain are also said to be home to various historic buildings, plazas and orchards, owned by Eahi family.

    Moonis Elahi has recently started a taxi service in Barcelona by obtaining 250 taxi vehicles on bank lease.

    In Spain, Chaudhary Pervez is known as the frontman of the Elahi Family.

  • Met Khan and Bajwa twice, reveals Saqib Nisar

    Met Khan and Bajwa twice, reveals Saqib Nisar

    Former Chief of Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar has revealed details of his meetings with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, former army chief (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and ex-Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Liteuatant General (retd) Faiz Hameed.

    In an interview, Saqib said that he had only met Imran twice. According to him, the first meeting took place when Khan was Prime Minister (PM) and the second was held after his ouster.

    Justice (retd) Nisar said that in the first meeting, the PTI chief had sought his guidance on NAB cases as they were going in vain. He also claimed that the former prime minister had requested him [Nisar] to suggest a suitable replacement for Shehzad Akbar — the then accountability czar.

    The former CJP claimed that he did not offer any advice to the former prime minister and rather suggested he take decisions on his own.

    On his second meeting, the former CJP said that he had advised the PTI chief not to talk about opening courts at midnight and that he should refrain from criticising the judiciary.

    It is pertinent to mention Nisar has been accused of favouring Khan and giving a verdict against the Sharif family as he disqualified former PM Nawaz Sharif for life.

    About Faiz, he said that he had met him multiple times during his time as the top judge of the country. The first meeting took place on the issue of missing persons and continued meeting him later as well.

    He also disclosed that he had met former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa twice. “The former army chief had met for the first time to donate while the second meeting was held sometime earlier in Lahore.”

    According to Saqib, he had not discussed General (retd) Bajwa during his meeting with Imran Khan.

  • ‘Hitler ko bhi public support thi’, says Zardari about Khan’s popularity

    ‘Hitler ko bhi public support thi’, says Zardari about Khan’s popularity

    Former President and Pakistan People’s Pakistan (PPP) Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has talked about the current political crisis in the country in a wide-ranging interview with Nasim Zehra.

    In the interview, he ruled out the possibility of talks with the PTI Chief Imran Khan. At one point, he called him “too arrogant” for that.

    Zardari again raised questions about Imran’s perception as a politician. When asked about public support towards Khan, he said that even Adolf Hitler had public support when he made the Nazi party.

    https://twitter.com/NasimZehra_at8/status/1632429902422069250?s=20

    When asked about Khan’s refusal to show up at court hearings, Zardari disclosed the difficulties he had to face while he was under the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) during Imran Khan’s tenure as Prime Minister (PM).

    The former president took a jibe at the PTI head, stating that he always appeared in court whenever he was summoned.

    “NAB se mera jhagrah tab hua, jab unhy ne mujhe Eid ki namaz bhi nahin parrhne di” (My fight with NAB started only when they didn’t let me offer Eid prayer).

    He said, “Later, I went to court and complained to them, then they shifted me to Adiala Jail.”

    Talking about the economy, Zardari believed that borrowing money from countries won’t help Pakistan unless the nation expands its resources and stand on its own feet.

    https://twitter.com/NasimZehra_at8/status/1632428810846052353?s=20

    Zardari also said that PPP will not boycott the elections if they take place however it’s a “dangerous mode”.

    https://twitter.com/NasimZehra_at8/status/1632428579018424326?s=20

    He also admitted that there is a law and order problem and lack of money but added that the “Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is an independent body and everybody will have to follow their instructions.”

    He also revealed that discussions with PM Shehbaz haven’t taken place yet over this matter.

    https://twitter.com/NasimZehra_at8/status/1632422661639790592?s=20
  • NAB summons Khan and wife on March 9 in Toshakhana case

    NAB summons Khan and wife on March 9 in Toshakhana case

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi on March 9 in connection with the Toshakhana reference.

    The anti-graft watchdog’s Rawalpindi branch summoned the PTI chief hours after NAB Chairman Aftab Sultan tendered his resignation after reportedly refusing to “toe the line”.

    In its notice to Khan, NAB wrote: “The competent authority has taken cognizance of an offence allegedly committed by the accused persons under the provisions of NAO, 1999.”

    The questions on gifts included in the notice are on six Rolex watches and an iPhone given by the Chief of Staff of the Qatari Armed Forces.

    On November 19, NAB had taken notice of the alleged non-disclosure of the actual value of gifts received by the former prime minister, his wife, and other cabinet members.

  • ‘Have never asked Gen Faiz any favour’: Tarin can’t believe Bajwa’s claims

    ‘Have never asked Gen Faiz any favour’: Tarin can’t believe Bajwa’s claims

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shaukat Tarin has said that he can’t believe the quotes about him being attributed to former army head, General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    Clarifying his position, Tarin said that he had only asked the then-Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt General (retd) Faiz Hameed to have his cases heard on merit by the courts.

    Tarin was reacting to the accounts attributed to General Bajwa in a column written by Javed Chaudhry.

    In the piece, Javed Chaudhary quoted Gen (retd) Bajwa as saying, “We kept trying to convince the prime minister [Imran Khan] against appointing Tarin as finance minister. I told the PM that Tarin, who failed to run his bank, will ruin the economy. The premier disagreed.”

    “National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had a Rs 8 billion case against Tarin. The PM asked us to have these cases dismissed…. and Gen Faiz Hameed got these cases scrapped from NAB,” the column cited Gen (retd) Bajwa as stating.

    In response to these assertions, Tarin said he could not “believe” that the former Chief could say such things about him.

    “On March 31, 2022, General sahib had declared me a hero when I finalised the Reko Diq deal,” he said.

    While sharing details about his cases, the former finance minister stated: “My case should have been disposed of on merit. Faiz never told me that he would get my case dismissed, nor did I ever ask him for any favour. I had also told the prime minister [Imran Khan] that I would not accept this job [finance ministry] unless my cases are finished.”

    “The columnist wrote that the former army chief had my NAB cases dismissed through [Lt Gen (retd)] Faiz Hameed. The former army chief’s comments are against the truth and ridiculous.”

  • ‘Only one prime minister in Pakistan’s history was considered very honest’: CJP Bandial

    ‘Only one prime minister in Pakistan’s history was considered very honest’: CJP Bandial

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial has said that “Only one prime minister in Pakistan’s history was considered very honest.” The remarks were passed during a hearing of a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) plea against amendments in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws. The Chief Justice, however, did not name the Prime Minister in question.

    “One honest prime minister’s government was ended through 58 (2b). Article 58 (2b) was a draconian law. The court had said in 1993 that the government was [sent packing] in a wrong manner but only elections should be conducted now,” the CJP said.

    Justice Bandial also said that the judiciary did not want to meddle in the legislative and that it had not taken notice itself of the NAB amendments ibut a petition had been filed. He highlighted that the court had rued its decision once before as well.

    A three-member Supreme Court bench — comprising CJP Bandial, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Ijazul Ahsan — PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s plea, which claims the new NAB laws are a “violation of fundamental rights

    The CJP said, “The PTI chief is not in the assembly and legislation like the NAB amendment is now becoming controversial.”

    Stating that the court has to determine what is standard of cases related to human rights, the government counsel asked, “Can anyone challenge legislation based on assumptions?”

    Replying to this, the CJP reiterated that Imran was no ordinary man but “the chief of a huge political party of the country and was a former prime minister”.

    Justice Bandial added: “His party decided to resign from the parliament due to political conflicts. His party then changed its mind and now they want to return. But they are not a part of parliament right now. But parliament is there.”

  • ‘Baitho apni kursi par’: Bilawal advises Imran to come back to parliament

    ‘Baitho apni kursi par’: Bilawal advises Imran to come back to parliament

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari advised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday to come back to the Parliament.

    In an address to mark the 15th death anniversary of his mother, former Prime Minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, he said, “This is your last warning. Come back to parliament and sit in your seat. If you call yourself democratic, play your role.”

    Bilawal also offered Khan a dialogue on the matter of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and elections if he comes to parliament.

    Referencing the long marches and protests by PTI, he said that the party’s actions are bad for the people of Pakistan.

    “In any other country, politics and rallies would have come to a halt after the havoc wreaked by the floods. But even in the midst of a catastrophe, the fight for Punjab kept on, and [Imran’s] long march did not stop,” he said.

    Talking about the alarming rise in terrorism, the minister slammed Imran for “bending his knees in front of the terrorists” without asking the public or the parliament.

    Moreover, he claimed that Imran is once again trying to pressurise the establishment to meddle in politics.

    At the start of the address, Bilawal talked about his mother, vowing to take Benazir Shaheed’s mission forward and achieve it within the next 15 years. He urged his supporters to join the party in this mission.

  • Bajwa wants to respond to Khan but can’t: Journalist Ansar Abbasi

    Bajwa wants to respond to Khan but can’t: Journalist Ansar Abbasi

    Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa cannot respond in public to the claims and accusations made against him by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan because of “codal limitations”, writes journalist Ansar Abbasi for Jang.

    The journalist revealed on Monday that it was not General (retd) Bajwa, but Imran Khan who controlled National Accountability Bureau (NAB) when he was the prime minister as he was paranoid about the Opposition and wanted to see them behind bars.

    Khan himself asked the ex-COAS to get a number of his opponents arrested. When Bajwa asked how he could take such a step, Khan gave reference of General Pervez Musharraf and his way of dealing with his political opponents. Upon hearing this, Bajwa reportedly reminded Imran that Musharraf was a dictator. Ansar Abbasi also disclosed that Bajwa told Khan to give him these orders in writing. However, Khan did not do that.

    The former army chief also warned Khan, advising him instead to focus on the economy instead of the Opposition.

    Abbasi has also written that “During his government’s tenure, Imran Khan himself has been heard complaining about the fear of NAB and its negative impact on the economy and civilian bureaucracy. But his urge to fix the opposition did not let him reform NAB.”

    Abbasi however does admit that General (retd) Bajwa is mostly blamed for keenly pursuing what is generally referred to as the “Imran Khan project”.

    He writes that when General (retd) Bajwa will speak, “what he tells will be no different from what former DG FIA Bashir Memon had alleged.” Memon claimed to have been pressurised by Khan to arrest his opponents.

    It is pertinent to mention that since his ouster, Khan has blamed the establishment and criticised them for being “neutral”. However, after General Bajwa retired in November, Khan has taken to criticising him directly. He has taken the name of General (retd) Bajwa on several occasions, saying that the retired army chief is responsible for ousting him.

    Days before retirement, General Bajwa, without taking any name, responded to Khan’s allegations.

    In what seemed like a criticism of Imran Khan, General (retd) Bajwa said that a false narrative was built and a campaign was started against the Pakistan army.

    “Many sectors used very inappropriate and undignified language while making the army the target of severe criticism. To criticise the army is the right of political parties and the people, but they should select their language carefully,” he said.

  • ‘General Faiz ne hamaaray sath ziyaadtiaan ki’: CM Pervaiz Elahi says former DG ISI was against him

    ‘General Faiz ne hamaaray sath ziyaadtiaan ki’: CM Pervaiz Elahi says former DG ISI was against him

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has accused former spy chief Faiz Hameed of wanting to put him and his son Moonis Elahi behind bars.

    In an explosive interview with ARY News’ programme ‘The Reporters’, Elahi said that General Faiz called the Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and asked him to put the father and son behind bars.

    “General [retd] Faiz ne humary sath ziyaatiyaan ki”, (General (retd) Faiz did grave injustices to us), Elahi said, emphasizing that the former head of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief was “strongly against” him.

    He also revealed that he had taken up the matter with the ex-COAS General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa. Gen Faiz had then informed the army chief that the alleged political persecution had been ordered by Imran Khan.

    ‘Bajwa sahab humray mohsin hain’: CM Elahi

    Throughout the interview, the chief minister regretted Imran Khan’s remarks against General [retd] Bajwa. He reminded that General [retd] Bajwa is Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) benefactor and they shouldn’t be “ungrateful”.

    Elahi said that he told Moonis Elahi: “Bajwa sahab humray mohsin hain, aap ke mohsin hain, PTI ke mohsin hain. Khuda ka wasta hai un ke khilaf kuch na bolay” (Bajwa sahab is ours, yours and PTI’s benefactor, so don’t speak against him).

    He said he had reiterated the same in his meeting with PTI Chairman Imran Khan a day ago at Imran’s Zaman Park residence. “He [Imran] replied: ‘I’ve received many requests [not to speak against Bajwa],’ so I said: ‘Then accept them,’” Elahi added.

    “The injustice that Imran Khan did was making us sit beside him and criticising Bajwa sahab.”

    Elahi said General Bajwa met the Saudi king and the crown prince, went to Qatar to bring money for Pakistan and even worked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support Khan’s government.

    He said that he felt “very bad but could not speak to Khan in privacy before he made a long speech and announced the dissolution of Punjab and KP assemblies on Saturday.”

    The chief minister also claimed that 99 per cent of the people within PTI were against Khan’s decision regarding the dissolution of assemblies.

    ‘Mei ne kaha GET OUT’, CM Elahi gives shut up call to PTI member for speaking against General Bajwa

    He also warned that he and his party won’t tolerate a word against ex-COAS. He said that he even gave a shut up call to PTI’s Sardar Hasnain Bahadar Dreshak for speaking against Gen Bajwa.

    “Mai toh cabinet mein bardaasht nahi karta, pehlay din hee keh diya tha. Dreshak ne cabinet mei bak bak shuru kardi. Mei ne kaha get out” (I told everyone on the first day that I wouldn’t tolerate this behaviour in the cabinet. When Dreshak started speaking nonsense, I said get out).

    Dreshak resigned from his post as the provincial minister for food on December 17. Earlier, it was reported that he and Elahi exchanged heated words during a cabinet meeting on Friday after which the minister left the room in protest and later sent his resignation.

    About Usman Buzdar

    CM Elahi took a direct jibe at former CM of Punjab, Usman Buzdar, stating that he had ruined the province and that Elahi sorted things out with four months of hard work.

    In response, Buzdar said that criticism of him is like criticising the PTI narrative. He added that he also has a lot to say but he has never spoken ill about anyone.

    Moonis Elahi met Imran Khan

    Following Elahi’s interview, Imran Khan called Moonis Elahi to his residence and discussed his father’s “harsh” statements. The younger Elahi explained his father’s, his own and his party’s stance with regard to Bajwa.

    On Sunday, Khan also said that he would not take any action against Gen (retd) Bajwa if he attains power again, saying his grievances with the former COAS were not a personal dispute.

    The former premier made these remarks during a meeting with a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

  • IK should say sorry to PM Shehbaz after Daily Mail’s apology, PML-N’s Marriyum Aurangzeb

    IK should say sorry to PM Shehbaz after Daily Mail’s apology, PML-N’s Marriyum Aurangzeb

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Marriyum Aurangzeb, on Thursday, talked about the apology issued by the British newspaper Daily Mail, saying that the paper had failed to produce even a single piece of evidence in the court to prove its allegations against Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.

    The federal minister also said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and the former advisor on accountability, Shahzad Akbar, levelled baseless and false accusations against the Sharif family.

    Aurangzeb added that they did it to satisfy their egos.

    Moreover, she pointed out that Imran Khan handed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reference to Daily Mail. Hence, an apology should be tendered by Imran Khan and Shahzad Akbar, not just the British newspaper. She asked that they should now apologise to PM Shehbaz and the nation. The minister also alleged that David Rose, the Daily Mail journalist who wrote the now-deleted story, conspired with Imran Khan against Shehbaz Sharif.

    The statements have come forward after Daily Mail tendered an apology to the premier and withdrew all allegations of corruption against him and his son-in-law Imran Ali Yousaf.

    The case:

    In July 2019, renowned media law firm Carter-Ruck sued British newspaper The Mail on Sunday, online news site Mail Online and its journalist David Rose on behalf of Shehbaz Sharif for publishing a “politically motivated” article. The story, published on July 14, 2019, had suggested that Shehbaz and Yousaf “stole British taxpayers’ money” given to Earthquake Relief and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA) set up to help the victims of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake.