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NAB summons Imran Khan in Toshakhana case

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  • NAB asks Imran Khan to appear before the probe team on March 9.
  • Khan retained some state gifts presented by various foreign dignitaries.
  • Body took notice of ‘non-disclosure’ of actual value of gifts last year.

RAWALPINDI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on March 9 in connection with the Toshakhana scam.

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, the anti-corruption crusaders wrote: “The competent authority has taken cognizance of an offence allegedly committed by the accused persons under the provisions of NAO, 1999.”

The inquiry proceedings have revealed that during Khan’s tenure as premier, he retained some state gifts presented to him by various foreign dignitaries.


The gifts include

I — Rolex wristwatch no. M228206-0036, 43.6470

II — Rolex wristwatch no. M126331-0014, 2G367435

III — Rolex wristwatch no. M1I6700LS001,(999927K8) Oyster S

IV — One iPhone presented by Qatar’s army chief dated 14/11/2018

V — Rolex wristwatch no. Yacht-Master, Oyster, Serial no.068A7072. Model 116680

VI — Rolex wristwatch (No.E67574V3), pair of cufflinks, one ring, and unstitched cloth of pants and coat from the crown prince of Saudi Arabia dated 18/09/2020.

VII — Graff gift set containing one Graff wristwatch Master Graff Special Edition Mecca Timepiece, One 18K gold and diamond Graff Pen, ring, and pair of cufflinks with a micro painting of Mecca.


The anti-graft watchdog asked the deposed prime minister to appear before the combined investigation team at its Islamabad office on March 9 and record his statement in this regard.

On November 19, the 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.

Sources privy to the matter said that there was a discrepancy between the actual value of the gifts received by the former prime minister and the sale.

Khan’s indictment deferred

Earlier today, the deposed prime minister was given relief by an Islamabad court which granted him exemption one more time and deferred his indictment till February 28 in the Toshakhana case.

Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal heard the case today filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) last year after it found the PTI chairman guilty of corrupt practices.

Before this, the court had fixed February 7 as the date for indictment but deferred the matter till today, accepting Imran Khan’s plea for exemption.

It is pertinent to mention here that NAB opened an inquiry after ECP — in October last year — had disqualified Khan in the Toshakhana reference under Article 63(1)(p) for making “false statements and incorrect declaration”.

In its written verdict, the election watchdog said that Khan had “intentionally and deliberately” violated the provisions contained [in] sections 137, 167 and 173 of the Elections Act, 2017, as he “has made false statement (sic) and incorrect declaration before the commission in the statement of assets and liabilities filed by him for the year 2020-21”.

Elections

Atta Tarar’s triumph over NA-127 in the LHC is contested

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The victory of Attaullah Tarar, the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) from Lahore’s NA-127 constituency in the general elections on February 8 has been contested in the Lahore High Court (LHC).

Samiullah Khan’s victory from PP-145 has also been contested. The petitions will be heard by Election Tribunal Judge Sultan Tanveer. The petitions have included the Pakistani Election Commission (ECP) and other parties as parties.

In the meantime, Attaullah Tarar stated during a discussion with Miss Zoe Ware, the Political Counselor of the British High Commission, that fake news, misinformation, and disinformation were global issues that needed to be managed.

According to the minister, fake news is the largest issue on social media, and the government is working to address it.

The conference covered a wide range of topics, including the two nations’ relationship and how to foster media collaboration. Collaboration in the drama and cinema industries was also covered.

According to Attaullah Tarar, social media verification should be adopted by journalists, and a global code of conduct for social media usage should be created.

Miss Zoe Ware thanked Attaullah Tarar on taking over as Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) on establishing the cabinet.

She was given the assurance that the UK diplomat will work with her to promote bilateral ties between Pakistan and the UK.

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Pakistan

US commitment to resolving Pakistan’s energy crisis is prioritized

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According to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, Pakistan was assisted by the United States in producing an extra 4,000 megawatts of sustainable energy.

According to him, these kinds of initiatives have given Pakistan more capacity to produce energy, allowing it to power millions of people.

The spokesman restated that both nations will cooperate through the green alliance to address the environmental issues.

At a news briefing, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “Earlier, the United States advised Pakistan to halt the Pak-Iran Gas Pipeline Project, as engaging in business with Iran poses the risk of encountering U.S. sanctions.”

“We always advise everyone that doing business with Iran carries the risk of encountering our sanctions, and we would advise everyone to consider that very carefully,” he continued. “I’m not going to preview any potential sanctions.”

He said, “We do not support this pipeline going forward, as the Assistant Secretary made clear last week.”

The Pakistan-Iran pipeline project was approved for completion a few months ago by the caretaker administration in Pakistan. But after this permission, Pakistan received an official statement from the US expressing its worries. Pakistan again put a stop to the project’s execution when the United States expressed concerns.

Miller said, “We condemn the attack on a convoy of PRC engineers in Pakistan,” in response to a query. Miller also denounced the terrorist attack on Chinese engineers in Pakistan. We offer our sincere condolences to all impacted by the incident and are extremely saddened by the deaths and injuries incurred.

He declared, “Terrorists have caused enormous suffering to the Pakistani people, and Chinese nationals living in Pakistan have also been the targets of terrorist strikes.” Such acts of terror should not occur in any nation.

In response to a question concerning a letter from Pakistani judges, the spokesperson stated that while he had seen the letter, he had not yet conferred with his colleagues and would not be making any comments.

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Pakistan

Fazlur Rehman says the government led by Shehbaz won’t be able to deliver

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Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), expressed doubts on Wednesday over the viability of the Shehbaz Sharif administration, stating that he believes the new system will fail if citizens go to the streets.

Fazlur Rehman stated on Wednesday’s “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath” segment of Geo News that “the parliament will likely be a rubber stamp.” There are simply too many obstacles for this government to handle. In the end, politicians will be held accountable for all of their shortcomings.”

The “crime is committed by someone else and the politicians take responsibility,” he said, calling it bizarre. The leader of JUI-F declared that his organization will demonstrate against the establishments that had turned the elections into a “game.”


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Fazl has previously said that he would abstain from the by-elections for the National Assembly and provincial assembly seats. In addition, he declared that on April 25, following Ramadan, he will start a protest campaign against the purported election manipulation from Balochistan.

“We firmly believe that there will be a rigged general election in 2024. And the factor that changed the outcome would be our aim. We reject the findings that led to the formation of this government,” he declared.

The leader of JUI-F stated that they disagreed with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa election results.

“[Earlier] the issues with the PTI were ideological and not election-related,” he said.

He stated that the party had not yet made the decision to work with the PTI. He did concede, though, that the Imran Khan-led party’s attitude has changed for the better. He remarked that it was a positive attitude and that it would not be a problem if the two parties moved together.

Fazl also revealed that he told Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister, that he thought of him as a new blue-eyed boy during their meeting.

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