Tag: Lt Gen Asim Bajwa

  • PM Khan assures Chinese counterpart about thorough investigation in Dasu incident

    PM Khan assures Chinese counterpart about thorough investigation in Dasu incident

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has assured Chinese Premier Li Keqiang of making every effort into the Dasu bus incident, in which 12 people were killed, including nine Chinese nationals, reports Geo News.

    In a telephonic conversation, PM Khan offered his condolences over the death of the Chinese nationals.

    “All efforts will be made to investigate the incident,” PM said.

    He further added that the security and protection of Chinese citizens in Pakistan is the government’s top priority.

    Beijing, meanwhile, reacted sharply to the incident by postponing a meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) scheduled for Friday. The meeting was to be held through a video link, reported Dawn.

    CPEC Authority Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Asim Bajwa announced the postponement of the meeting on Twitter. “JCC-10 meeting on #CPEC which was scheduled to be held on 16th July 21, has been postponed to a later date after Eid. The fresh date will be shared as finalized. Meanwhile, preparations continue,” he said.

    On Thursday, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter and said, “Initial investigations into Dassu incident have now confirmed traces of explosives, terrorism cannot be ruled out,” contradicting the statement by his party’s Foreign Minister.

    “Prime Minister Imran Khan is personally supervising all developments, in this regard Govt is in close coordination with the Chinese embassy we are committed to fighting the menace of terrorism together,” tweeted Fawad.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan, had expressed sincere condolences to the Chinese side over the heavy Chinese casualties. He said that the preliminary investigation shows that the incident was “an accident and no background of terrorist attacks has been found”.

  • Bajwa, Imran concerned as Sadpara, team remain missing

    More than 45 hours have elapsed since Pakistan’s Muhammad Ali Sadpara, Iceland’s John Snorri and Chile’s JP Mohr went missing, the Alpine Club of Pakistan and the manager of the expedition, Chhang Dawa Sherpa have confirmed. A rescue operation initiated on Saturday was also unsuccessful with Pakistan Army helicopters returning to Skardu without any information of the three mountaineers who were attempting to summit K2 in the winters.

    According to reports, Sadpara, Snorri and Prieto have been missing since Friday, though news of their summit of K2 had flooded social and mainstream media Friday night. It has not yet been confirmed whether the mountaineers have summited K2.

    A rescue operation was started approximately 24 hours after the climbers lost communication with Army helicopters trying to locate them. The helicopters managed to reach 7000 metres but had to return due to the winds and worsening weather conditions.

    Meanwhile, Sajid Sadpara, the fourth mountaineer on the expedition and Ali’s son, who had begun an earlier descent due to the malfunctioning of his oxygen regulator was escorted to base from Camp 3 by a team of Nepali Sherpas led by Dawa Sherpa.

    “The search for the remaining team members continues. Appeal for prayers,” tweeted Sajid, requesting for prayers.

    https://twitter.com/SajidAliSadpara/status/1357987764088827905?s=19

    Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa have also expressed their concern over the missing climbers and are personally monitoring all developments, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari has said.

    “High altitude porters and Lama helicopter will restart search at the crack of dawn. Prayers needed from everyone for their safe return,” added the SAPM.

    President Arif Alvi also expressed his concern, saying that “we pray for their safety”.

    Meanwhile Sadpara’s colleagues, celebrities and other noted personalities are also praying for the safe return of Sadpara and his colleagues.

    https://twitter.com/Hina_RKhar/status/1358081738124234757?s=20

    Sadpara is a Pakistani mountaineer and has hoisted the country’s flag on eight peaks. He was also part of the team that successfully achieved the first-ever winter summit on Nanga Parbat in 2016.

    Earlier on Friday, a 43-year-old Bulgarian mountaineer fell to his death while trying to summit K2, the world’s second tallest peak.

  • PM refuses to say Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa is not guilty of corruption

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Saturday refused to say that former military bigwig as well as his ex-aide Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa was not guilty of corruption, maintaining that it wasn’t his job to say so.

    In an interview with senior journalist Mansoor Ali Khan, when asked to say on camera if Bajwa was not guilty of corruption, the premier said, “I cannot say this because it is not my job to say this. However, I will say that he gave a very detailed answer to the allegations against him. I sat with our law minister and reviewed it.”

    Earlier this year, Bajwa had rebutted a news report linking his military career to his family’s businesses, terming it “malicious propaganda”. Amid opposition’s tirades against him despite a clarification, he had decided to continue serving as the chairperson of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority but stepped down as the premier’s aide on information and broadcasting.

    PM Imran himself had, however, expressed satisfaction over the ex-army official’s clarification regarding his assets and rejected the resignation at first.

    “These were mere allegations and if anyone had any problems with it, they should file a case against the retired army officer with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB),” the premier said on Saturday.

    He added that Bajwa was made the CPEC chairperson based on his credentials as opposed to any pressure from the army on him to do so. “He had served in the past as the commander of the Southern Command in Balochistan and had also worked closely with the Chinese. Gwadar is the focal point of the whole CPEC project.”

    The premier said that the government had then appointed Bajwa as his special assistant on information as he had also worked as the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) chief and had the much-needed experience for the job. 

    PM Imran reiterated that he was not under any pressure from the armed forces and among other executive decisions, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was in charge of the country’s foreign policy. “The army hasn’t [directed] me to do one thing which I did not want to do,” he said.

    “I would have resisted the army if they exerted pressure on me. The entire foreign policy [being implemented today] is mine, you can check the PTI’s manifesto,” the premier added. 

    The prime minister said that Pakistan’s foreign policy today was centered around the PTI’s manifesto, adding that the world was praising Pakistan for advocating non-military solutions to conflicts. “There was pressure on us to take a side in a conflict between any Muslim countries; we said we would remain neutral and play our role in uniting Muslim countries instead.”

    During the wide-ranging interview, PM Imran spoke on various issues and also trained guns at the opposition.

    Responding to a question, he said that former PTI general-secretary Jahangir Tareen was going through “difficult times” but said that he would not interfere in the sugar inquiry investigation.

    “Jahangir Tareen has been really close to us [in the past], we have worked together in the past closely,” he said. “Tareen says he is innocent. The investigation is going on, I will not interfere in matters of institutions,” added the PM. 

    He said that under his government, an inquiry against the sugar cartel was launched for the first time in Pakistan’s history. He said that an FIR had also been registered against Tareen.

    When asked about former Punjab government spokesperson Fayazul Hasan Chohan who was shown the door a couple of weeks ago and Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan was appointed as a special assistant to the chief minister (CM) of Punjab, the premier said both mattered to him. 

    “We need both Fayyaz Chohan and Firdous Ashiq Awan,” he said. “In order to win the match, you need to change the team sometimes,” he said. 

    The premier said that Chohan wanted a “strong” ministry which he had been given now. 

    Speaking further about the Punjab government, the PM said that his party had brought in people on merit. “The same setup was in power in Punjab over the past 30 years, but we brought in people on merit.”

    He said that the new Punjab inspector general (IG) was doing a fabulous job, adding that Punjab CM Usman Buzdar was doing a commendable job as far as development projects were concerned. “You will see that after five years, Buzdar will be the number one provincial chief executive in the country,” he said. 

    When asked to respond to allegations of being a “selected” PM, the premier said that he couldn’t understand their criticism. 

    He said that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was the leader of his party because “he had shown a piece of paper” (in reference to Benazir Bhutto’s will) and Maryam Nawaz was leading the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) because she was Nawaz Sharif’s daughter. 

    “And they make these allegations against a man who has struggled in politics for the past 22 years,” said the premier, referring to himself. 

    He said that the leadership of the PML-N and the PPP had opened corruption cases against themselves. “Nawaz Sharif threw Asif Zardari in jail,” he said. “Our government only made cases against Shehbaz Sharif.”

    Referring to former PM Nawaz’s medical condition, the premier said that when he read the PML-N chief’s medical reports, he couldn’t help but wonder whether a person could suffer from so many ailments. “No one exerted pressure on me to send Nawaz abroad,” he said, adding that no one could do so either.  

    To another question, PM Imran said that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), being one of the best spy agencies in the world, knew about everything he does.

  • PM likely to appoint brother of Nawaz’s blue-eyed Fawad Hasan Fawad as new special assistant

    PM likely to appoint brother of Nawaz’s blue-eyed Fawad Hasan Fawad as new special assistant

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is likely to appoint the brother of former PM Nawaz Sharif’s blue-eyed Fawad Hasan Fawad as his new special assistant on information and broadcasting, ARY News reported.

    According to reports, Raoof Hasan will be replacing former Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general (DG) Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa, who stepped down as the premier’s media aide earlier this month.

    Interestingly, Raoof is the brother of former civil servant Fawad who served in BPS-22 grade as the principal secretary to two PMs, namely Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

    The former bureaucrat was accused of corruption and misuse of authority by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Ashiana Housing scam, which led to his arrest in July 2018.

    He was accused of directing the Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC) management to cancel the contract of Ashiana Iqbal without any inquiry. In February 2019, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had granted Fawad bail but denied the same in another NAB case pertaining to assets beyond means.

    Later, in January 2020, Fawad was set free on the grounds that no illegitimate asset belonging to him had been unearthed by the anti-graft watchdog, no charge had been framed and that there was no nexus between him and any asset, however, he had been arrested at the inquiry stage.

    Fawad was also one of the first to be nabbed as part of the Imran-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s accountability drive.

    Raoof, on the other hand, is the founder and chief executive of the Regional Peace Institute.

  • Bajwa’s resignation amid political uncertainty affects stock market

    Bajwa’s resignation amid political uncertainty affects stock market

    Pakistan’s stocks reversed gains on Monday as Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Special Assistant on Information (SAPM) Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa resigned ahead of protests planned by opposition parties, raising concerns of increased political uncertainty, foreign media reported.

    “Imran Khan approved my request to relinquish the additional post,” Asim Bajwa tweeted Monday.

    The resignation of Imran’s key spokesperson comes amid increasing challenges to his about two-year-old government as he struggles to contain inflation and revive the country’s economy. Meanwhile, an alliance of 11 opposition parties is planning on holding its first protest rally this week, which is the start of a series of such meetings aimed at ousting Imran Khan.

    The benchmark KSE-100 index closed down 1.4%, reversing earlier gains of as much as 0.6%. The stocks have advanced 48% since touching this year’s low on March 25. “The investors are being cautious and booking profits after recent events including Bajwa’s resignation and the opposition’s planned protest add to the uncertainty,” said Qasim Shah, head of international sales at JS Global Capital Ltd in Karachi.

    The premier had turned down Bajwa’s earlier request to resign.

  • Nawaz, Maryam go filterless, say ‘nation expected Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa to be arrested, not Shehbaz’

    Nawaz, Maryam go filterless, say ‘nation expected Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa to be arrested, not Shehbaz’

    Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has said the nation was expecting the arrest of PM’s aide Asim Saleem Bajwa but the authorities instead apprehended his brother Shehbaz Sharif.

    “This is oppression and this is injustice,” Nawaz said, referring to Shehbaz’s arrest in a money laundering case. “This is not acceptable and we will not accept it.”

    The National Assembly opposition leader was arrested Monday morning after the Lahore High Court rejected his bail plea.

    Referring to Bajwa, the former premier told reporters in London that the nation wanted to know how a person made such big properties and assets in just 15 or 20 years.

    Opposition parties have been demanding an investigation against Bajwa after the publishing of a story that claimed that Bajwa’s family had set up 99 companies in four countries, including a pizza franchise with 133 restaurants.

    The website, FactFocus, claimed that his wife is a “shareholder” in at least 86 companies. Of them, 71 were set up in the US, seven in the UAE and four in Canada.

    Bajwa has rejected the story on his family’s assets as “incorrect” and “false”.

    Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz, who was addressing a press conference in Lahore, said that if there was accountability and justice in country, Bajwa would have been arrested.

    Maryam said the anti-government movement would not stop with the arrest of Shehbaz Sharif, rather the unjust act would add fuel to fire. “This movement will not suffer a setback due to Shehbaz Sharif’s arrest,” she insisted.

    She said even if the entire PML-N leadership, including her, was arrested, the movement would not stop. Terming the arrest extremely unfortunate, Maryam said she had no doubts that the PML-N president had been picked up because he chose not to betray his brother, Nawaz Sharif.

    “He [Shehbaz Sharif] not only stood with his brother but his loyalty to his brother’s cause and the party remained unwavering. “His wife has been declared an absconder; his son, my brother Hamza, has been sent to jail, though no case has been proven against him.

    “During the last week, Shehbaz gave two to three statements, saying that if they want to arrest him, they can , but the party will implement 100% of the directions given in Nawaz Sharif’s speech at the APC,” she said, referring to a statement made by the PML-N supremo at the opposition’s multiparty conference last week.

    The PML-N leader said the party had all its options open including resignations from all assemblies as well as launching a long march, and the party was deliberating on all options. “Those who are talking about birth of ‘Sheen’ from ‘Noon’ are now screaming because Sheen and Noon are completely united and can’t be separated,” she said, adding that Shehbaz was arrested though nothing was proved against him.

    Questioning the accountability and justice system, she said those who stood for justice were behind the bars or were submitting their financial details.

  • Bollywood was allowed to flourish in Pakistan, says PM Imran

    Bollywood was allowed to flourish in Pakistan, says PM Imran

    With the government set to introduce a new film policy to assist producers and filmmakers, Prime Minister Imran Khan, who chaired a meeting on the matter, remarked that foreign content – Bollywood particularly – was allowed to flourish in Pakistan.

    Speaking exclusively to The Current, Senator Faisal Javed, who has worked with the government on making the film policy, said that PM Imran during the meeting commented that the previous governments did not work towards building up the Pakistani film industry, which led to its decay. As a result, there was an onslaught of foreign content that impacted the youth’s upbringing and compromised their moral values.

    It was also reported that during the meeting, PM Khan asserted that cinema played a vital role in highlighting social values and national heritage, besides providing quality and inexpensive entertainment to the people. The prime minister, in the meeting, made it clear that the promotion of Pakistan’s unique identity locally and globally, and acquainting the youth with cultural heritage was the government’s priority.

    This is not the first time PM Imran has called out Bollywood for spreading obscenity and vulgarity. Earlier in April, PM Khan had said: “I say this with a heavy heart but thirty to forty years ago, you would have never seen such vulgarity in Bollywood. There is so much trash. Bollywood has adopted the worst of Hollywood.”

    “This is affecting our society and youth negatively. Drug culture is emerging, sex crimes are increasing because of such promotion of vulgarity. It is important to note that when vulgarity increases in a society, the family system goes down”, the prime minister had said.

    Then in September, while speaking to journalist Moeed Pirzada about the horrendous motorway gang-rape incident, PM Khan had said that mass media influences the public and commented that indecent content and “obscenity” shown in Bollywood films has increased sex crimes in Delhi.

    “New Delhi has become the ‘rape capital’ of the world due to obscenity in Bollywood,” said PM Imran. “Compare the movies made in India 40 years ago to the movies being made now. Look at the impact of those movies.”

    Film Policy to be introduced soon

    Sharing further details about the film policy and the government’s plans, Senator Javed said that the film industry will be given the status of an industry and that Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa has prepared a very detailed and comprehensive film policy keeping all the stakeholders in mind. He said that the policy will be introduced in the coming months. It is pertinent to mention here that this is the first time such a policy is being introduced. While the PML-N government introduced some incentives – such as lowering imports on film equipment, slashing of income tax by 50 percent for those investing in films – the industry was mostly dependent on individuals and corporates for finances.

    Under the policy, filmmakers and cinema owners will be offered several incentives including access to locations. The government hopes to build a soft image of Pakistan through film and promote ‘Pakistaniat‘, which is why it also hopes to make cinemas affordable for the masses.

    “We hope that are we are able to promote our country, tourism and rich culture and history through our films,” said Senator Javed.

    Senator Faisal also said that plans are being made to centralise the censor boards so that only one censor board deems a film suitable for public viewing. He said that multiple censor boards create confusion for both the filmmakers and the audiences.

    Others who were part of the meeting include Information Minister Senator Shibli Faraz, Industries Minister Hammad Azhar, Dr Shahbaz Gill, Zulfiqar Bukhari, secretaries of relevant ministries, SBP governor, FBR chairman and other senior officers.

    PM Imran, in the meeting, directed relevant ministries and departments to furnish a roadmap for implementation of the proposals. The premier later also directed Lt Gen (retd) Asim Bajwa to work on a comprehensive strategy to “cleanse” Pakistani dramas and films of indecency and vulgarity. Latest reports have stated that Gen (retd) Bajwa is already in touch with TV drama writers and producers to change the trend of Pakistani film-making from its current Bollywood-style to what countries like Turkey and Iran are doing.

    Meanwhile, Pakistani actors and directors including Shaan, Humayun Saeed, Farhan Saeed, Urwa Hocane and Nabeel Qureshi welcomed the government’s initiative and thanked PM Khan and Gen (retd) Asim Bajwa for their support.

  • Senior journalist wants PM, Faraz, Lt Gen (r) Bajwa to take notice of woman exercising on PTV

    Senior journalist wants PM, Faraz, Lt Gen (r) Bajwa to take notice of woman exercising on PTV

    Senior journalist Ansar Abbasi has drawn the ire of several netizens for urging Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz and Special Assistant to PM (SAPM) on Information Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa to take notice of a woman exercising on state-owned Pakistan Television (PTV) News.

    As per the details, Abbasi, who is known for being critical of liberal activists, on Monday tweeted a poorly-recorded video of a TV screen that showed a woman, accompanied by a male instructor, exercising.

    “Mr PM @ImranKhanPTI this is PTV. @AsimSBajwa @shiblifaraz,” the tweet read.

    “If Even an exercise session and women picture on advertisement boards makes you feel amorous, you really need psychic therapy and advice….. [sic],” said former information minister and incumbent Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry while quoting the journalist’s tweet.

    The federal minister was, however, not the only one who strongly reacted to the journalist’s statement.

    Meanwhile, anchorperson Rabia Anum “trolled” Abbasi, which led to almost-a-spat between the two.

    What do you think of journalist Ansar Abbasi’s comments? Let The Current know in the comments below.

  • ‘Band karo isay’: Twitterati suspect more than a technical fault on Shahzeb Khanzada’s Thursday show

    ‘Band karo isay’: Twitterati suspect more than a technical fault on Shahzeb Khanzada’s Thursday show

    With Lieutenant General (r) Asim Bajwa’s call dropping during his appearance on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzaeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ as he rebutted the news report linking his family’s businesses to his military career, Twitterati, owing to some background chatter, are suspecting more than just a technical fault.

    As per the details, Bajwa on Thursday issued a detailed press release rubbishing claims made regarding the assets of his family members by journalist Ahmad Noorani.

    The press release was followed by Bajwa appearing on multiple current affairs shows later in the day to further clarify the situation.

    In an on-air telephonic conversation with Shahzeb Khanzada, Bajwa reiterated his statements aimed at rubbishing the claims made in the story that he has called “malicious propaganda”.

    As the interview continued, the phone call dropped amid questions posed by Khanzada.

    WATCH INTERVIEW:

    But Twitterati suspected there was more to the dropped call than an alleged technical fault as they pointed out some background chatter.

    The former military officer, however, returned after a commercial break and responded to the question.

    What do you think of the interview? Let The Current know in the comments below

  • CPEC Authority chief Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa rubbishes report on family’s assets, resigns as Imran’s aide

    CPEC Authority chief Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa rubbishes report on family’s assets, resigns as Imran’s aide

    Lieutenant General (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa has categorically rebutted all corruption allegations levelled against him and resigned from the post of special assistant to prime minister on information and broadcasting, however, he will continue to remain the chairman of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority.

    Defending the businesses and enterprises owned by his brothers in countries abroad, he said that shameless allegations were levelled against him to tarnish his image.

    Lt Gen Bajwa, in rejoinder to a story published on an “unknown website”, lamented that the allegations were “false and incorrect”. He insisted that on the date of filing of his declaration, i.e. June 22, 2020, his spouse was no longer an investor or shareholder in any business of his brothers.

    “My wife had disinvested all her interests as at 01.06.2020 in any entity abroad and such fact has been duly documented in the official records in the USA. It may be pointed out that the company registered in the SECP [Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan] in Pakistan was Liaison Office of the companies in the USA,” he maintained.

    About the investments abroad, Lt Gen Bajwa said that since 2002 till June 1, 2020 his wife had only invested $19,492 in his brothers’ companies. He said that all investments came from his savings over the last 18 years, and no regulations of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) have been broken.

    Concerning the alleged investment of businesses in the pizza chain Papa John’s in the US and DQ, UAE, Lt Gen Bajwa said that facts and figures were fully documented.

    He insisted that Bajco Global Management, LLC did not have any ownership interest in any Papa John’s in the USA, DQ, UAE or any real estate.

    READ: ‘Who is this Mr Bajwa you are talking about?’ NAB DG on alleged assets of Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa’s family

    “The author further makes a false claim that Bajco owns 99 companies. The author has listed many companies multiple times on his list. There is a total of 27 active companies in the US and two in the UAE,” he said.

    “For eighteen years, the actual out of pocket cash investment into the said businesses by my brothers and wife has been about US$73,950/-. It is further pointed out that out of US $73,950/-, my wife’s contribution, as stated aforesaid, is US$19,492/-. Thus, the total out of pocket cash contribution of my five brothers, for eighteen years, has been US$54,458/-,” Lt Gen Bajwa added.

    He added that the cash contributions of $54,458 by his five brothers were fully accounted for and traceable to their sources. He further said that apart from his five brothers and his wife, the businesses have at least 50 other investors. He maintained that any further investments were a result of profits generated from the business, while also mentioning the various qualifications of his five brothers as a source of income.

    “One question that may be underscored is whether three persons who have worked in the US up to the positions of a Vice President in a US Bank, a Controller in a restaurant operating company, and as an operating partner of a restaurant; and two persons having worked as doctors, would not be able to save US$54,458/-,” argued Lt Gen Bajwa.

    Responding to the allegations made about businesses of his children, he said that the company Scion Builders and Estates (Pvt.) Ltd owned by his sons and registered in the SECP had never done any business and same is dormant since inception. He said the same about other businesses owned by his sons, namely Advance Marketing (Pvt.) Ltd, Scion Natura LLC, and Mochi Cordwainers.

    READ: ‘Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa to issue clarification on report linking military career to family’s businesses’

    Regarding an allegation about a house owned by his son’s Scion Management Group LLC, he asserted that the house was only 31,000 and had been bought by his sons through their independent resources in “cheap foreclosure proceedings”.

    “Baseless allegations have been levelled that a business entity of my two brothers by the name of Silkline Enterprises (Pvt.) Ltd has been formed to acquire CPEC contracts. It may be stated that this company has never acquired any CPEC contract. This company is in Rahim Yar Khan and has only provided labour/human resources to industries in Rahim Yar Khan region,” he added.

    He said that one of his sons owns a house in the USA but it has been acquired through a mortgage in the manner that 80 per cent of loan/mortgage remains unpaid.

    “This again is a small time-house. All my sons are above 18 years and none are my dependents. Masha’Allah their ages are 33, 32 and 27 years respectively. It shall be noted that my sons completed their business degrees from reputable universities in the United States and have had well-paying jobs,” concluded the retired general.

    On August 27, a website known as Fact Focus published a story, claiming that Lt Gen Bajwa’s family had set up 99 companies in four countries, including a pizza franchise with 133 restaurants.

    The website further claimed that Lt Gen (r) Bajwa’s wife was a “shareholder” in at least 86 companies. Of them, 71 were set up in the US, seven in the UAE and four in Canada.

    The rebuttal followed the statement of Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz, who had earlier this week said that Bajwa will soon be issuing a clarification on the news report.

    Bajwa had earlier called the report a “malicious propaganda story”.

    The story had been called an attack on CPEC by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).