ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif has claimed that his employment in a UAE-based company is an already settled matter but an activist of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has tried flogging a dead horse.

Mr Asif in a reply submitted to the petition filed by PTI’s Usman Dar for his disqualification said that Mr Dar — whom he defeated in the May 2013 general elections — concealed from the court that the issue related to Iqama (work permit)had not only be adjudicated by the election tribunal but the Supreme Court had also decided this case in his favour. “This petition is the second round of litigation as the petitioner has earlier failed to get any relief from the Election Tribunal and before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of Pakistan in Appeal… titled Khawaja Mohammad Asif vs Usman Dar and others”, the reply pointed out. “The election petition filed by the petitioner against respondent (Asif) was dismissed, the appeal and review petition against the respondent also failed”, it said.

According to the reply, Mr Dar relied upon all those documents which Mr Asif has already submitted to the returning officer at the time of filing of nomination papers in 2013. It further said that Mr Dar had approached the Islamabad High Court by concealing material facts. The conduct and motive of the petitioner is based on mala fide intentions.

Mr Asif admitted in the reply that he worked as legal adviser/management consultant/special adviser in the UAE company IMECL. He, however, stated that the business relationship between the company and the respondent was in accordance with the law and it did not relate to national security or any matter which might be in conflict with the official functions being carried out by the respondent being the foreign minister.

The reply insisted that “the question of violation of oath of office is also misconceived since the foreign minister has not allowed any personal interest, if that, vis a vis the said contract to influence has official conduct, while none of the remaining restrictions therein have been violated, whatsoever.” According to his reply, till the tax year 2011-2012 he received AED50,000 and declared it as foreign income in the nomination papers. The petition of Mr Dar sought disqualification of Mr Asif while relying upon the recent definition of the Supreme Court regarding receivable salary, on the basis of which it disqualified former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

The petition said that Mr Asif was entitled to draw salary which was his receivable asset; however, since he did not declare it in the nomination form while contesting the 2013 general elections from NA-110, he did not qualify to remain a member of the National Assembly. The petition claimed that Mr Dar had recently learnt about the Iqama and salary details of Mr Asif; therefore, he has only now moved the IHC against the minister.

The petition pointed out that the Iqama was renewed on June 29, 2017 and it was valid till June 28, 2019, which established that in spite of being a federal minister, Mr Asif “intends to surreptitiously and secretly continue with his full-time employment with IMECL in violation of his oath of office under the Constitution of Pakistan”.

According to the petition, Mr Asif was not only a full-time employee of the IMECL in 2013 when he was holding the portfolio of the federal minister for water and power, but in the past while the PML-N was in the coalition government of the Pakistan Peoples Party, he was a federal minister till the time his party parted ways with the PPP. He concealed his job and right to receive salary while filing nomination papers for both the terms, it added.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2017