RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: After a joint investigation team (JIT) discovered a UAE iqama or work permit for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, it has been learnt that defence minister Khawaja Asif, too, possesses a similar work permit.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, a close aide of Prime Minister Sharif, has however said he has not only declared the Iqama or work permit with ECP, but Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) also knows about his salary that he has been drawing for the last 27 years from the emirate.

“I receive the funds from proper banking channels since 1983,” he said, adding that he operates a bank account in Abu Dhabi since 1983.

PTI leader Usman Dar who had also contested the 2013 general election against Khawaja Asif from Sialkot said the close aide of the prime minister had also got an Iqama which he has been keeping secret for the last several years.

In a message on twitter, he said the defence minister is an employee of a company in Dubai. “Asif did not mention the salary he has been drawing from his Dubai employer in his nomination papers filed with Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in 2013 general elections,” he claimed.

The PTI leader also said he would further expose the PML-N MNA as he had not declared his Dubai work permit before the ECP, which is a crime.

He said that PTI is considering initiating a legal action against defence minister.

According to Usman Dar, these iqamas are a backdoor for saving oneself after committing corruption. “The likely candidate for the top slot of PM if his elder is disqualified [Nawaz Sharif] turns out to be more an out-right corrupt,” he said.