LAHORE: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has claimed that the former first lady\u2019s friend Farah Khan was involved in perhaps \u201cAsia\u2019s largest money-laundering scandal\u201d.<\/p>\n
The party leaders at a presser on Sunday ran an audio clip involving a property tycoon as purported evidence of the \u201ccorruption being done by Imran Khan\u2019s wife Bushra Bibi and Farah Khan\u201d when the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) was in power.<\/p>\n
Dawn was unable to independently verify the content and origin of the audiotape.<\/p>\n
Ataullah Tarar, the Punjab government\u2019s spokesperson, and PML-N provincial information secretary Azma Bukhari alleged that Farah Khan \u201cruled over the entire country from her office in Punjab\u201d and accumulated \u201cassets worth billions of rupees\u201d.<\/p>\n
Calling her Farah Gogi, Mr Tarar alleged that she used to \u201capprove transfers and appointments\u201d of government officials in Punjab against hefty payments and the wealth was spent on purchasing diamonds worth billions of rupees. The diamonds were sent to Dubai, where they were sold off.<\/p>\n
He alleged that \u201cthe matter is not confined to diamond dealings as information about the selling of expensive paintings and watches will come to the fore soon\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said proceeds from the sale in Dubai were transferred to Pakistan through hawala and hundi.<\/p>\n
He called upon the PTI chairman to ask Farah Gogi to return home and join investigations.<\/p>\n
The audio clip allegedly featuring top realtor Malik Riaz and his daughter was played during the presser. The duo was talking about demands made by Farah Khan in return for some \u201cgovernment favours\u201d.<\/p>\n
In the audio clip, the daughter tells her father that Farah Khan had phoned her to inform that the first lady had asked her not to accept a three-carat diamond ring. She quoted Farah as asking her to take back the ring as \u201cI don\u2019t like such an ordinary object\u201d.<\/p>\n
Then the tycoon asks his daughter to give her what she\u2019s asking for. \u201cI have offered her (Farah) to buy them a five-carat [ring], which would cost Rs10 million. She says as \u2018your appointment (with Farah) has been set for Saturday\u2019, the ring should be arranged before it,\u201d the daughter replies.<\/p>\n
Malik Riaz asks his daughter to place an order for the ring. She says she had done so and it would be delivered the next day.<\/p>\n
The daughter is also heard telling her father that the locks of his site [for developing a residential society] would be opened in the morning.<\/p>\n
Without naming Farah, she quotes her as saying that [Imran] Khan Saheb had phoned, guaranteeing that he would get removed the [negative] report which had been submitted [apparently about the housing scheme site] and that [former adviser to PM on accountability] Shehzad Akbar\u2019s letter would also be delivered to them.<\/p>\n
According to sources, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had objected to a housing scheme by Malik Riaz in Peshawar because it was \u201cillegal as it had been launched without seeking permission\u201d from the authorities concerned.<\/p>\n
Mr Tarar claimed that the government had acquired more audio recordings as \u201cevidence against corruption of Ms Gogi\u201d. \u201cThe clips could be sent for a forensic test if required.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Bukhari, the PML-N leader, said sarcastically the two women \u2014 Bushra Bibi and Farah Gogi \u2014 had steered Imran Khan out of poverty after running the \u201cfinancial affairs of Banigala\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cImran Khan has hired two front women for his corrupt practices,\u201d she alleged.<\/p>\n
She said that so far her party had \u201cdug up information\u201d related to the sale of diamonds in Dubai, but details of other \u201cwrongdoing\u201d would surface soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAHORE: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has claimed that the former first lady\u2019s friend Farah Khan was involved in perhaps \u201cAsia\u2019s largest money-laundering scandal\u201d. The party leaders at a presser on Sunday ran an audio clip involving a property tycoon as purported evidence of the \u201ccorruption being done by Imran Khan\u2019s wife Bushra Bibi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":264828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-264827","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n