ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) revealed on Thursday that it had sent a questionnaire to the family members of former defence minister and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) stalwart Khawaja Asif in connection with an alleged corruption case he is facing.

The anti-graft watchdog said in a press release that the wife and children of Mr Asif had not been summoned.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Usman Dar had provided NAB ‘evidence’ of money laundering allegedly committed by Khawaja Asif. Mr Dar had told the media that he had given the anti-graft watchdog records of the PML-N leader’s foreign investments, including his wife’s transactions in foreign accounts.

Evidence of Mr Asif’s secret employment with a foreign company and remuneration contract were also handed over to NAB, he added. Mr Asif, the PTI leader said, was allegedly getting salary on iqama (work permit) which he had not declared before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

NAB chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal had on March 7 ordered verification of a complaint against Mr Asif for his alleged involvement in money laundering.

Meanwhile, NAB said Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) incumbent chairperson Uzma Adil was one of the accused in a recently filed reference relating to alleged irregularities in the contract for liquefied natural gas (LNG) import awarded by the last PML-N government.

A press release issued by the anti-graft watchdog said that none of the officials of Ogra had been summoned since the reference was filed in an accountability court. The bureau termed a statement by Ms Adil published in a national daily on Dec 12 “an attempt to interfere in investigation into the LNG case”.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2019