Bushra Bibi responds to NAB notice in £190m NCA scandal

ISLAMABAD: Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, has submitted her response to a notice issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in National Crime Agency (NCA) £190 million scandal, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

In the written response to accountability watchdog, the former premier’s wife claimed that she did not have “any information about the £190 million case and settlement between the United Kingdom’s (UK) National Crime Agency and property tycoon”.

Bushra Bibi requested the accountability bureau to shift her NAB appearance to Thursday as she observes “strict purdah (veil) and would like to be accompanied by my husband when I travel to Islamabad”.

She noted that the PTI chief had requested the bureau to shift the hearing to June 8 (tomorrow) as he was already scheduled to appear before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad.

The PTI chief’s wife clarified that the donations made to the Al-Qadir University Project Trust were “genuine and not disguised in any way”.

Bushra Bibi claimed that all donations from Bahria Town Ltd were exclusively intended for the benefit of the Al-Qadir University Project Trust and not for the personal gain of any individual, including the trustees.

Regarding the documents sought by the NAB, she said they were with the trust’s chief financial officer, who told her he had already submitted the certified copies of the documents to the accountability watchdog on May 23.

It is pertinent to mention here that the NAB had directed Bushra Bibi and the PTI chief to appear before its Rawalpindi office along with documents pertaining to the registration, donations and other details of the Al-Qadir University on June 7 (today).

Al-Qadir Trust case

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had launched an investigation against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and others for the alleged gain of hundreds of canals of land in the name of Al Qadir University Trust, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.

As per the charges, the Khan and others accused allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion — 190 million pounds at the time — sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government.

Former PM Imran Khan had registered Trust for Al-Qadir University Project on Dec 26, 2019.