ISLAMABAD: A day before his appearance before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in an alleged corruption case, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Imran Khan.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office one-on-one meeting took place between them. Source said the NAB case against Buzdar and an incident took place outside NAB office in Lahore also came under discussion.

The meeting is also significant in the backdrop of reports that the prime minister is under pressure from within the party and different quarters to replace Buzdar for his `failure to deliver’.

In the NAB case, the CM has been accused of receiving Rs50 million in bribe to force the Excise and Taxa­tion Department to issue a liquor license to a hotel in violation of the law.

The NAB had, on Thursday, issued a call up notice to Buzdar, asking him to appear before a combined investigation team on Aug 12 at its Thokar Niazbaig provincial headquarters. He has been asked to bring relevant record regarding approval of the liquor license to a hotel in violation of the rules/law.

Media reports said the under-construction hotel near the Lahore airport had applied to the Excise and Taxation Department for obtaining L-2 liquor license without first obtaining registration and license from the Department of Tourist Services, Punjab, under the Pakistan Hotels and Resta­urant Act 1976 and the Rules 1977 with a 4/5 star rating.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2020