Prime Minister Imran Khan has refused to accept the resignation of his special assistant on information, Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa after the latter resigned over corruption allegations.
The former general had announced his resignation in Shahzeb Khanzada's programme.
According to a statement on its official page, the Prime Minister's Office said that the premier has refused to accept the resignation letter of Gen Bajwa as he was 'satisfied by the clarification' given by the special assistant.
Gen Bajwa was appointed as the SAPM in April this year, replacing Firdous Ashiq Awan. However, following the allegations of corruption, Gen Bajwa had decided to quit his job as the special assistant to the prime minister on information and broadcasting.
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) demanded the authorities probe the corruption charges against Bajwa.
During a court hearing earlier this week, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said Asim Saleem Bajwa should provide a money trail following corruption allegations against him. The PML-N leader had said after the graft allegations against the former military spokesperson, an explanation was necessary.
She had said Gen Asim Bajwa should respond to the allegations of accumulating massive wealth during his tenure as the top military officer.
Farhatullah Babar, a senior leader of the PPP, had said that a story about the prime minister’s special assistant was recently published on a website but the accountability watchdog remained silent. “They (allegations) are so serious that they cannot be ignored,” Babar said. “I demand that a high-level inquiry is conducted over the story.”
In a news report published on FactFocus, Investigate Journalist Ahmad Noorani accused Gen Asim Bajwa of accumulating disproportionate assets by using his influence as an army general.
Noorani revealed that the growth of the ‘Bajwa family’s business empire in the United States and later in Pakistan directly matches the rise in power of retired general Asim Saleem Bajwa’.
The report claimed, “The Bajwa family’s companies spent an estimated $52.2 million to develop their businesses and $14.5 million to purchase properties in the United States, while Asim Bajwa and his department were encouraging Pakistanis to invest within their relatively undeveloped country. The businesses of the Bajwa family through different companies were named as Bajco Group.”
Bajwa rejected the allegations as a part of 'malicious propaganda'.
Reports that PM Imran Khan has not accepted Lt General (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa’s resignation as SAPM Information.
— Amber Rahim Shamsi (@AmberRShamsi) September 4, 2020
The former general had announced his resignation in Shahzeb Khanzada's programme.
According to a statement on its official page, the Prime Minister's Office said that the premier has refused to accept the resignation letter of Gen Bajwa as he was 'satisfied by the clarification' given by the special assistant.
Gen Bajwa was appointed as the SAPM in April this year, replacing Firdous Ashiq Awan. However, following the allegations of corruption, Gen Bajwa had decided to quit his job as the special assistant to the prime minister on information and broadcasting.
Probe Into Allegations Demanded:
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) demanded the authorities probe the corruption charges against Bajwa.
During a court hearing earlier this week, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said Asim Saleem Bajwa should provide a money trail following corruption allegations against him. The PML-N leader had said after the graft allegations against the former military spokesperson, an explanation was necessary.
She had said Gen Asim Bajwa should respond to the allegations of accumulating massive wealth during his tenure as the top military officer.
Farhatullah Babar, a senior leader of the PPP, had said that a story about the prime minister’s special assistant was recently published on a website but the accountability watchdog remained silent. “They (allegations) are so serious that they cannot be ignored,” Babar said. “I demand that a high-level inquiry is conducted over the story.”
Backstory:
In a news report published on FactFocus, Investigate Journalist Ahmad Noorani accused Gen Asim Bajwa of accumulating disproportionate assets by using his influence as an army general.
Noorani revealed that the growth of the ‘Bajwa family’s business empire in the United States and later in Pakistan directly matches the rise in power of retired general Asim Saleem Bajwa’.
The report claimed, “The Bajwa family’s companies spent an estimated $52.2 million to develop their businesses and $14.5 million to purchase properties in the United States, while Asim Bajwa and his department were encouraging Pakistanis to invest within their relatively undeveloped country. The businesses of the Bajwa family through different companies were named as Bajco Group.”
Bajwa rejected the allegations as a part of 'malicious propaganda'.