Asim Bajwa to resign as SAPM on information, remain CPEC Authority chairman
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Retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa on Thursday announced that he has decided to resign as special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) on information.
Speaking on Geo News' programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath, Bajwa said he will continue to serve as the chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority.
He said he will present his resignation to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday morning and request him to relieve him of the portfolio, which he was assigned on April 27.
The announcement by the former chief of the Pakistan Army's media wing came hours after he issued a four-page rebuttal to a recently published investigative news report by journalist Ahmad Noorani about alleged offshore properties and businesses of Bajwa and his close family members.
Bajwa told Khanzada he had decided to quit as the SAPM on information after consultation with his family. "I decided to put all my energies into CPEC because we thought that a lot of focus is currently needed on the CPEC Authority," he said.
The premier's aide said the government's information wing "has many other qualified people", therefore, he will keep his focus on CPEC. He said an excellent team was taking shape regarding CPEC and the entire cabinet was focused on the multi-billion dollar project.
Answering questions about the allegations regarding his family's businesses in Noorani's report, Bajwa said he has all the relevant documents to support his money trail.
"Being a Pakistani citizen, I am ready to provide the money trail, document or any sort of evidence on any platform," he said.
On Thursday, Bajwa in a tweet denied what he termed as "baseless allegations" against him and his family.
"Alhamdolillah another attempt to damage our reputation belied/exposed. I have and will always serve Pakistan with pride and dignity," he wrote.
When the report was first published, Bajwa had denied the allegations on Twitter, saying: “A malicious propaganda story published on an unknown site, against me and my family, is strongly rebutted.”
Talking to reporters in his hometown Multan last week, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had claimed that the authenticity of the news report would become clear soon.
“It is now a common practice that the news is run without confirmation. A news should be made public once it is confirmed. The truth in this case will come to the fore soon,” the minister had stated.
