LAHORE: The Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) investigation team appears to have given a ‘clean chit’ to Farhat Shahzadi known as Farah Khan, a close friend of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, in plots’ allotment case.

Hamza Shehbaz’s government in early July had booked Farah and her mother in a case of illegal allotment of two industrial plots, measuring 10 acre, to a company owned by her and also made some arrests in this regard.

“The ACE joint investigation team did not find involvement of Farah and others in causing financial loss to the exchequer,” an official source said, and added the investigation team had recommended sending its findings to the Special Economic Zone Authority for further investigation.

ACE spokesperson Abdul Wahid neither denied nor admitted closure of the investigation against Farah and others.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Lahore in July summoned Farah and her husband Ahsan Jamil Gujjar in connection with an investigation into income beyond means and money laundering case.

The prime minister’s special assistant, Attaullah Tarar, had announced plans for seeking “red warrants” to bring Farah back to Pakistan from the UAE where she had gone days before the no-confidence motion succeeded against Imran Khan.

Interestingly, Mr Tarar had also asked Imran Khan to call Farah back to the country if he (Imran) had a firm belief that she was innocent. “I must say here that Imran is not bringing her back here because she and her husband will become approvers within an hour of their arrest,” he claimed.

Farah, however, has maintained that she is “innocent” and her “media trial” is being carried out to malign the former first lady.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2022