PPP’s Asma Arbab, husband indicted in assets case

PESHAWAR: An Accountability court has indicted Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Asma Arbab and her husband Arbab Alamgir today (Thursday) in a reference accusing them of possessing assets beyond known sources of income.

The court has summoned witnesses in the case on January 24.

Arbab Alamgir said he had been paying tax of all properties that had been named in the case. While Asma termed the reference a ‘political revenge’.

A little altercation erupted between the party workers [who tried to enter the court premises] and the police when the couple arrived at the court. However, the cops deployed outside the court controlled the situation.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had alleged that both the suspects accumulated assets to the tune of Rs332 million, which were disproportionate to their known sources of income. The couple claimed innocence and stated that all their assets were acquired through known sources.

The NAB further alleged that during investigation, it was revealed that both of the suspects accumulated huge assets worth millions of rupees disproportionate to their income. As per the reference, the inquiry was authorised on November 4, 2015 that was subsequently converted into investigation with the approval of NAB executive board on January 12, 2018.

NAB said in its probe that it surfaced that the suspects accumulated movable and immovable assets including a house in G-11/3 Islamabad; 10-kanal land at Mauza Shah Alladitta, Islamabad; a bungalow in F-7/2 Islamabad; prize bonds; a land rover vehicle and several bank transactions.

Asma Alamgir has also served as an adviser to then prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani.