ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Sunday said the ruling party is not removing Ishaq Dar as Finance Minister in a fear that Dar might make another confession about corruption committed by Sharifs.
Referring to Hudaibiya Papers Mill case, Khan in a tweet said Sharif family is petrified of Dar making another confession with regard to money laundering committed by Sharifs.
He said it’s shocking that incumbent Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi could not remove Dar as finance minister despite multiple charges of corruption on him and declared as absconder by a court.
It merits mentioning here that the top leadership of PML-N is divided over the resignation matter of Ishaq Dar.
The reports with regard to Dar’s resignation surfaced on Saturday before being denied by the PML-N leaders.
Earlier this week, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) recommended the Ministry of Interior to place Dar’s name on the Exit Control List (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.
