The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday sought tax record of Aleema Khan, sister of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, in a case related to her properties in Dubai.
While hearing a suo-moto case over foreign properties and accounts of Pakistanis on Friday the SC issued directives to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to submit all tax record of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khanum in a sealed envelope in Lahore Registry where Chief Justice (CJ) Mian Saqib Nisar is scheduled to hear a number of cases on Saturday (today).
Responding to query of a three-member bench, the FBR official submitted that Aleema Khanum had availed an amnesty scheme saying due to which Ms.Khanum tax details were confidential. However, the Chief Justice of Pakistan asked the FBR official to provide the record in a sealed envelope as the court was interested in it. However, no record was submitted to the court on Friday.
Taking up the matter again in the afternoon, the Chief Justice (CJ) Mian Saqib Nisar inquired the FBR official about the record of Aleema Khanum. The court was then told that the required record was available with FBR’s Lahore office. Expressing dismay over lacklustre performance of the FBR the Chief Justice asked the relevant officials to show progress while probing into properties and bank accounts of Pakistani citizens who had siphoned off money from the country. Later, the Supreme Court adjourned the main case hearing till December 06.
The SC had taken suo-moto notice over reports of siphoning off money by some Pakistani politicians and public officers to abroad without paying taxes through illegal channels. Such money was reportedly fetched through ill-gotten gains or kickbacks from public contracts.
Earlier, while responding to FIA notice, Aleema Khan reportedly told the inquiry officer that she had acquired property abroad but had sold her assets. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday had also demanded the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to investigate the properties of Aleema Khan in Dubai. Talking informally to reporters at the accountability court in Islamabad, Nawaz said that he was not in habit of doing politics of allegations, but if he stayed silent, opponents would claim that he had made compromises. “How did Aleema Khan accumulate properties worth billions of rupees?” asked the former PM. “She has no sources of income. She must provide money trail of her properties in Dubai,” he added.
Published in Daily Times, December 1st 2018.
