ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government suffered another major blow as Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has tendered his resignation, sources told ARY News on Saturday.
According to sources privy to the latest development, Dar decided to resign from the ministry after National Accountability Bureau (NAB) recommended the Ministry of Interior to place his name on the Exit Control List (ECL) earlier this week.
The resignation letter has been sent to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and a decision of accepting Dar’s resignation is to be made after holding consultations with PML-N president Nawaz Sharif, sources added.
It is apropos to mention here that the anti-corruption watchdog on Thursday requested the interior ministry to place Dar’s name on the ECL after indicting him as accused in Hudaibiya Paper Mills case.
It was the second major move against Dar within a week after the anti-corruption watchdog announced to reopen Hudaibiya Papers Mills case while terminating Dar’s earlier position as an approver in the case.
The embattled confidante of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, is currently facing a trial in a graft reference for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income. However, he has been skipping the accountability proceedings as he is out of country.
The court had already issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Dar for his perpetual absence during the graft proceedings.
‘Reopening of Hudaibiya case’
Earlier, the NAB announced to reinvestigate Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for alleged corruption in Hudaibiya Paper Mills reference in compliance with the orders of Supreme Court.
NAB would relaunch an investigation against Dar as an accused and his earlier position as approver in the case had been terminated, the anti-graft body earlier said in a press release.
It merits mentioning here that Ishaq Dar, nominated as an accused, had became an approver in the case and made a revelation of his involvement in money laundering before the magistrate on April 25, 2000 in Hudaibiya Paper Mills reference.
Later, Dar retracted his statement and claimed the statement was gleaned under duress.
The case was quashed by Lahore High Court (LHC) and NAB did not appeal the Supreme Court over the LHC judgment.
However, the Supreme Court called upon NAB authorities to reopen the case during Panama Papers’ case proceedings after six-members Joint Investigation Team (JIT) surfaced new evidences of corruption against Sharif family members.
Subsequently, the NAB filed a Civil Petition for Leave to Appeal (CPLA) in the Supreme Court on Sept 15 for reopening of Hudaibiya Paper Mills case.
