Lt Gen (retd) Bajwa says that he will continue his work as Chairman CPEC Authority
news desk
ISLAMABAD
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Lt Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa announced on Thursday he has decided to step down from his position as the premier’s aide.
In a conversation with Geo News show host Shahzeb Khanzada, Lt Gen Bajwa said he would hand in his resignation to the prime minister tomorrow and would request him to relieve him of his duties as his aide.
He said that he will continue his work as Chairman China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority.
Lt Gen Bajwa said that the premier’s priority is CPEC “and I believe as well that this project is the country’s future”.
“I hope that the prime minister will allow me to concentrate all my focus on CPEC,” he added.
‘Materially false news spread with view to malign my reputation’
The announcement comes on the heels of a strong rebuttal to allegations raised against him in news broken on an “unknown website” on August 27 by journalist Ahmed Noorani.
Lt Gen Bajwa on Thursday “vehemently denied as incorrect and false” all allegations.
The four-page rebuttal to the accusations, was posted to Twitter by Lt Gen Bajwa, along with the following statement: “I strongly rebut the baseless allegations levelled against me and my family. Alhamdolillah another attempt to damage our reputation belied/exposed. I have and will always serve Pakistan with pride and dignity.”
The premier’s aide said that he has “not shied away to explain the allegations shamelessly leveled” against him.
“These allegations have been hurled at me to tarnish my image,” he said.
The rebuttal noted that the news has alleged as follows:
– my declaration of assets and liabilities as an SAPM in the Federal Government dated 22.06.2020 is incorrect because I have failed to disclose the investment of my wife abroad;- my brothers have conducted businesses in the USA and their growth of business is relatable to my promotion in the Pakistan Army;- random mention has been made of companies, businesses and properties, owned by my brothers and children, with sweeping allegations regarding their evaluation and propriety.
“All the adverse insinuations leveled in the news item in question so also the aspects mentioned in the para 2 above, are materially false,” Lt Gen Bajwa said.
He said that the allegation that his declaration of assets and liabilities dated June 22 suffers from omission of the investment of his wife abroad, is “materially false”.
Lt Gen Bajwa said that when the declaration was filed, his wife was “no longer an investor or shareholder in any business” belonging to his brothers or anyone else abroad.
