Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Prime Minister Imran Khan’ top aide Lt Gen (Retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa announced his resignation on Thursday shortly after debunking allegations of corruption against him in a rebuttal that was posted on Twitter.
Bajwa said he will step down as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Imran Khan, on information and broadcasting, Geo News reported.
The former chief military spokesperson said this during a conversation with television show host Shahzeb Khanzada and said he will hand in his resignation to the prime minister today.
Imran Khan’s top aide, however, said that he will continue his work as Chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority, which he said was a priority with the premier. “And I believe as well that this project is the country’s future,” he said.
“I hope that the prime minister will allow me to concentrate all my focus on CPEC,” he added according to Geo News.
The Dawn also quoted Bajwa as saying: “I decided to put all my energies into CPEC because we thought that a lot of focus is currently needed on the CPEC Authority”
Bajwa decision to step down followed his detailed Twitter rebuttal to the “false and incorrect” allegations made against him and his family for assets concealment.
“I strongly rebut the baseless allegations levelled against me and my family. Alhamdolillah another attempt to damage our reputation belied/exposed. I have and will always serve Pakistan with pride and dignity,” he said in a four-page press release posted on the microblogging website.
An investigative report by Pakistani journalist Ahmed Noorani alleged properties and business worth millions of Bajwa and his close family members in Pakistan and abroad.
The report claimed that Bajwa’s brothers, wife and two sons own a business empire, which has set up 99 companies in four countries including a pizza franchise with 133 restaurants worth an estimated USD 39.9 million.
Refuting all the allegations, Bajwa in his rebuttal said, “It has been alleged that one of my sons had owned a company by name of Scion Builders and Estates (Pvt) Ltd, which has been registered in the SECP. It may be stated that this company has never done any business and same is dormant since its inception.”