ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday finally allowed retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa to relinquish the additional charge of special assistant to PM on information and broadcasting, accepting the latter’s resignation he had submitted last month in the wake of allegations regarding his family’s assets and offshore businesses.

Mr Bajwa, however, will continue to work as chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority.

“I requested the honourable prime minister to relinquish me from the additional portfolio of SAPM on Info and broadcasting. He very kindly approved my request,” Mr Bajwa wrote on his official account of Twitter.

Earlier, the prime minister had refused to accept the resignation and directed him to continue working as his aide. The official PTI Twitter account had quoted the premier as saying that he was satisfied with the evidence provided by Mr Bajwa about his family’s assets.

In August, journalist Ahmed Noorani broke the news on a website alleging that Mr Bajwa had used his offices in setting up off-shore businesses of his wife, sons and brothers.

After almost a week of silence, Mr Bajwa stated that he was resigning as the PM’s aide but would continue to work as chairman of the CPEC Authority. He had denied the allegations against him, terming them “incorrect and false”. He said he possessed all the documents about his family’s assets and was ready to present them and the money trail before any judicial forum.

Following the publication of the report about the off-shore businesses, the opposition parties had demanded that Mr Bajwa face the allegations against him. His resignation was also formally demanded by the opposition through the 26-point declaration issued after their multiparty conference (MPC), which was held in Islamabad on September 20. Ex-aide calls on Imran

Earlier during the day, former media adviser to the prime minister Yousuf Baig Mirza called on PM Khan.

When contacted, Mr Mirza denied that he was returning to his position and termed his meeting with the prime minister on the day when Mr Bajwa’s resignation was accepted a “mere coincidence”.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2020