Tag: Zulfi Bukhari

  • ‘Iss tarhaa ki audio college ke bachay bhi bana lete hain’: Zulfi Bukhari responds to audio leak

    ‘Iss tarhaa ki audio college ke bachay bhi bana lete hain’: Zulfi Bukhari responds to audio leak

    Sayed Zulfi Bukhari, a close aide of Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has denied the authenticity of an audio recording between him and former First Lady Bushra Bibi which surfaced online earlier in the day.

    In a tweet, he said that he has neither bought or sold any watches. “Earlier, it was being said that watches were sold to a person named Umar Zahoor through Farah Gujjar. But when a legal notice was served [to Zahoor], a new story popped up that I have sold the watches”, he said.

    Bukhari went on to say that “even college students can make such cut-copy-paste audio”.

    He also demanded that a forensic audit of the audio should be immediately conducted and he is “ready to pay for it”.

    Prior to this, the audio got leaked, in which Bushra Bibi can be heard allegedly discussing selling Toshakhana watches with Bukhari. According to the clip, Bushra asks Zulfi to sell her husband’s watches as they are of no use to him. Zulfi Bukhari can be heard agreeing with his party chairman’s wife.

    It is pertinent to mention here that this is the second time that Bushra Bibi’s audio got leaked. Earlier in the year, another alleged leaked audio of the former First Lady came to light in which she could be heard saying, “Khan Sahib told you to run a hashtag of treason. I have been getting calls from people that your social media was very active but after a week, it is not. You should have been very active nowadays.”

  • Audio leak: Bushra Bibi allegedly discussing selling Toshakhana watches with Zulfi Bukhari

    Audio leak: Bushra Bibi allegedly discussing selling Toshakhana watches with Zulfi Bukhari

    An audio recording for former First Lady Bushra Bibi has surfaced online on Thursday.

    In the brief clip, Bushra Bibi can be heard allegedly discussing selling Toshakhana watches with Zulfi Bukhari, a close confidant of her husband, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    Following is the audio transcript of the clip.

    Bushra bibi: Hello

    Zulfi Bukhari: Asalam-o-Alikum Jee

    Bushra Bibi: Jee Waalikum Asalam. How are you?

    Zulfi Bukhari: I am well Murshad. How are you are?

    Bushra Bibi: All is well by the grace of God. There are a few watches of Imran Khan Sahib. He has asked me to send them to you so that you can sell them. They are not of his use.

    Zulfi Bukhari: Yes

    Bushra Bibi: He wants that you take them somewhere.

    Zulfi Bukhari: Yes Murshad. I will do so.

    On November 15, Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor claimed in the Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, that the PTI government had sold the expensive Graff wristwatch gifted by Saudi Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, for a cash amount of $2 million or Rs.280 million at the time of sale in 2019.

    Zahoor claimed that he had bought the watch through former accoun­ta­bility minister Shahzad Akbar and Farah Khan, a close aide of Imran’s wife Bushra Bibi.

    The Dubai-based businessman also claimed that Farah wanted to sell the watch for $4-5 million “but after negotiations, I purchased it for $2 million”. The payment, he added, was made in cash on Farah’s insistence.

    It is pertinent to mention here that earlier in the year, another alleged leaked audio of the former First Lady came to light in which Bushra Bibi could be heard saying, “Khan Sahib told you to run a hashtag of treason. I have been getting calls from people that your social media was very active but after a week, it is not. You should have been very active nowadays.”

  • Imran Khan meets accused sexual abuser Zia Chishti at Bani Gala

    Imran Khan meets accused sexual abuser Zia Chishti at Bani Gala

    Former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan met Sitara-i-Imtiaz (third-highest honour and civilian award in Pakistan) holder and founder of a software company “Afiniti” Zia Chishti at Bani Gala. Chishti was accused of sexually abusing Tatiana Spottiswoode, a former Afiniti employee, and Zia’s friend’s daughter last year.

    Chishti stepped down from his position as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Afiniti, effective immediately following the allegations of sexual assault by a 23-year-old against him.

    The news of the meeting between the two came to the surface when the official Twitter handle of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) tweeted a picture of the meeting at Khan’s residence.

    Zia Chishti along with former Special Assistant to the prime minister Sayed Zulfi Bukhari were seen meeting Khan.

    However, the party’s Twitter account later deleted the tweet.

  • Zulfi Bukhari mocks Miftah Ismail for not knowing about Web 3.0

    Zulfi Bukhari mocks Miftah Ismail for not knowing about Web 3.0

    Following Finance Minister Miftah Ismail’s admittance of being unaware of the third generation internet, or Web 3.0, Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) leader Zulfikar Bukhari offered him “free consultation and training” on Web 3.0.

    “We’ll give you free consultancy services & coaching on Web 3.0 Miftah, but please don’t embarrass Pakistan like that next time,” Zulfi Bukhari said in a tweet quoting a video of the Atlantic Council.

    In the viral video, Miftah is asked about the rise of Web 3.0, which the questioner believes will be a $100 billion dollar export opportunity for Pakistani talent in the next 20 years.

    He also inquired what he felt about providing new economic prospects for Pakistanis, citing the potential of digital currency.

    “Let me simply declare that I genuinely don’t know what Web 3.0 is,” Miftah said bluntly and “shamelessly..I don’t know much about this, but I do know that Pakistani fintech and new technology businesses garnered a lot of money last year and from a very low starting point”.

    He added that we want them to thrive as much as possible, I’m not sure how much we can do to assist them.

    What is Web 3.0?

    Web 3.0 is a new kind of internet that not only accurately translates what you type, but also understands what you say, whether through text, voice, or other media, and where all of the content you consume is more personalised than ever before.

    There are a few early-stage Web 3.0 applications that exist today, but their true potential cannot be seen until the new internet is fully integrated into the web infrastructure.

    Web 3.0 refers to the next generation of the internet, in which websites and apps will be able to handle data in a clever human-like manner using technologies such as machine learning (ML), Big Data, and decentralised ledger technology (DLT), among others.

    Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, dubbed Web 3.0 the Semantic Web, with the goal of creating a more autonomous, intelligent, and open internet.

    Read more: ‘Sasta Ramzan Bazaar’ fails to provide relief in third Ashra

    Data will be interconnected in a decentralised form, which would be a big leap ahead from our present generation of the internet (Web 2.0), where data is largely housed in centralised repositories.

    Users and machines will be able to engage with data as well. However, programmes must be able to comprehend information both conceptually and culturally in order for this to happen. With this in mind, the semantic web and artificial intelligence are the two cornerstones of Web 3.0. (AI).

  • Case of the 18 crore necklace: Could Khan and Zulfi be in trouble?

    Case of the 18 crore necklace: Could Khan and Zulfi be in trouble?

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has started investigation into the sale of an expensive state gift “necklace” the former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan received during his tenure.

    According to a report by 24 News, the necklace was gifted to Imran Khan during a visit to Saudi Arabia, but it was never sent to Tosha-khana (state gift repository). Rather, it was given to former special assistant Zulfi Bukhari, who sold it to a jeweller in Lahore for Rs180 million (Rs18 crore) ,” the report claimed.

    Reacting to the news, Bukhari denied the allegation and termed them lies. In a tweet, he said, “No necklace given or ever sold by me. Low blow attempt to discredit PM by a B grade media house. Surely you can do better than that 24 News.”

    The report, however, claimed that a small amount of money “few lac rupees” were submitted in the Tosha-khana record by the then government merely as an eye-wash.

    It is pertinent to mention that as per the law, state officials are required to submit the gifts they receive from dignitaries during official visit and submit these gifts in the state gift repository. The law makes the submission of officials gift or at least half of the amount of the gift worth mandatory.

    Last year, the Khan-led government denied giving out information about the exchange of gifts between Khan and other heads of state. The government said that some countries do not like disclosing their gifts so they are marked ‘classified’.

  • Reham Khan loses defamation case to Zulfi Bukhari, pays £50,000

    Prime Minister Imran Khan’s former wife Reham Khan has lost to former Special Assistant Sayed Zulfi Bukhari in a defamation case and has reportedly paid £50,000 as a contribution towards Bukhari’s costs and damages, reported Murtaza Ali Shah for Geo News.

    In a statement attached with the court order, which she agreed to publish, Reham withdrew all allegations and rendered a full and unconditional apology.

    Khan posted her apology on Twitter, in which she wrote, “On 6 and 7 December 2019, I published a video on my YouTube Channel, my Facebook page, and on my Twitter account in which I asserted that Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari, more commonly known as Zulfi Bukhari, was involved in a corrupt plan with the Prime Minister of Pakistan to sell or acquire the Roosevelt Hotel in New York at an undervalue for his benefit.”

    “These allegations were false and untrue. Zulfi Bukhari, as I now understand, was not involved in any corrupt plan PM Khan to sell or acquire the Roosevelt,” she added.

    https://twitter.com/RehamKhan1/status/1448797012728688644?s=20

    Reham also posted her apology video on her youtube channel.

    https://youtu.be/_1ecyzzXcmc

    Zulfi, in a tweet, while reacting to Reham’s video said, “TRUTH ALWAYS WINS!”

    In the settlement agreed between the two parties, Reham agreed that she will tweet the apology and clarification and pin it to her Twitter account for at least three consecutive days.

    Reacting to the development, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said, “Reham being a liar was proved once again. She is actually a habitual liar.”

  • ‘DID NOT go to Israel’: Zulfi Bukhari denies reports of secret visit to Israel, again

    ‘DID NOT go to Israel’: Zulfi Bukhari denies reports of secret visit to Israel, again

    Former Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zulfi Bukhari has denied going to Israel again, after Israel Hayom — an Israeli national Hebrew-language daily newspaper and news website — claimed on Monday that Zulfi Bukhari paid a brief visit to Israel in the last week of November 2020. The reported cited an unnamed source in Islamabad. Zulfi Bukhari tweeted that he did not go to Israel.

    This is Bukhari’s second denial regarding an alleged visit to Israel, months after Middle East Monitor claimed in a report that an adviser of PM Imran Khan visited Tel Aviv in November on his British passport. Middle East Monitor later apologised to Zulfi Bukhari for misreporting. “We accept Mr Bukhari’s refutation of the claims made in the report and sincerely apologise for the inconvenience it has caused,” concluded the letter dated December 23.

    Today, Zulfi Bukhari tweeted: “DIDNOT go to Israel. Funny bit is Pakistani paper says I went to Israel based on ‘Israeli news source’ & Israeli paper says I went to Israel based on a ‘Pakistani source’-wonder who this imaginative Pakistani source is.” He further added,” Apparently, I’m the only one who was kept out of the loop.”

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sherry Rehman and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khurram Dastgir Khan asked for a clarification from the government despite Zulfi’s denial.

    In November 2020, PM Imran Khan had said that the United States and some Muslim states, which he cannot name because of good ties with them, have been pressuring Pakistan to recognise Israel. However, PM Khan reiterated that Pakistan will never establish relations with the “Zionist” state until a just settlement of the decades-long Palestinian issue.

  • Zulfi Bukhari will rejoin cabinet once his name is cleared in Rawalpindi Ring Road inquiry: Ghulam Sarwar Khan

    Zulfi Bukhari will rejoin cabinet once his name is cleared in Rawalpindi Ring Road inquiry: Ghulam Sarwar Khan

    Federal Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan revealed on Dawn News show ‘Live with Adil Shahzeb’ that former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari was not being investigated in the Rawalpindi Ring Road project. “Right now, an inquiry is being conducted against government officials who changed the alignment, disbursement, and other issues. No political figure played any role in this. Zulfi’s name will be cleared God-willing once the inquiry concludes.”

    When anchorperson Adil Shahzeb asked if Zulfi Bukhari will be back in the cabinet, Ghulam Sarwar said that Bukhari’s resignation has not been accepted. “He is young and emotional so he offered his resignation but it has not been accepted.”

    Zulfi Bukhari stepped down from his cabinet position on May 17 due to the Rawalpindi Ring Road inquiry.

    Ghulam Sarwar Khan, who was also named by the Opposition in the Ring Road scandal, said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was “satisfied since day one” that he had nothing to do with it.

  • PM Khan’s aide Zulfi Bukhari resigns over allegations of corruption

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis, Zulfi Bukhari has stepped down from his position, owing to allegations in the ongoing Ring Road inquiry. Zulfi made the announcement on his Twitter account.

    “My Prime Minister has always said that if a person has been named rightly or wrongly in any inquiry he should cease to hold any public office till his name has been cleared of charges ,” wrote Zulfi Bukhari.

    “Owing to the allegations in ongoing Ring Road inquiry I want to set this example, by resigning from office until my name is cleared up of any allegations and media’s obnoxious lies,” he added.

    He continued by saying, “I reiterate that I have nothing to do with Ring Road or any ongoing Real Estate project. This time the inquiry should be done by capable personnel. I endorse a judicial inquiry.’

    “I’m here to stay in Pakistan and stand united with the Prime Minister and his vision.”

    “I sacrificed my life overseas to come and serve my country, I am ready to face any inquiry,” he concluded.

    His resignation has come after an order by the National Accountability Bureau, to look into alleged corruption and illegal land requisition in the Rawalpindi Ring Road project.

  • ‘Govt to launch dozens of five-star hotels, motels,’ say Zulfi Bukhari

    ‘Govt to launch dozens of five-star hotels, motels,’ say Zulfi Bukhari

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari has said that the government plans to launch dozens of five-star international standard hotels and motels in the coming two to three years.

    Bukhari, who also serves as the Chairman of the National Tourism Coordination Board (NTCB), has announced that Pakistan will get 25 to 30 international standard hotels because tourism is a priority of the present government.

    He further said that an e-portal for tourism updates like hotels ratings, weather, traffic, and other information regarding tourist destinations will also be developed by the government.

    Furthermore, a National Tourism Strategy from 2020 to 2030 has been devised, and a five-year action plan (2020-25) has also been introduced.

    Bukhari further said that the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) now works as a coordination body for the government.

    He asserted that to boost the tourism industry, the country needs better hotels, transportation, amenities, improvement of infrastructure and security situation.