As criticism continued to mount well into the day, members of the PTI began to respond to the “shameful” tactics employed by the opposition and the “lies” being spread.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari said that PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif held an iqama when he was the prime minister of the country. “Khawaja Asif held iqama while serving as defines minister while Ishaq Dar had a Saudi iqama when he was the finance minister of the country,” he said while responding to the PML-N criticism on advisers and special assistants, who declared their dual nationalities and assets on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
You should be ashamed while criticizing others, he told PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal, and said that he should respond to permanent residences held by their leadership before criticizing others.
He said that Imran Khan has his assets in Pakistan while on the contrary the PML-N leadership remains fugitive. “Those who looted this country are hiding behind their diseases,” he blamed and said that Imran Khan has waged a war against corrupt elements in the society.
On the other hand, a day after the cabinet division issued details of assets and dual nationalities of the prime minister’s advisers and special assistants, SAPM on National Security Moeed Yusuf rebutted the claim of being dual national.
Taking to Twitter, he said: “Contrary to the canard being spread about me, I only hold citizenship of ONE country and that is Pakistan.”
He shared the undertaking he said he had previously submitted to the government, which reads: “I [Dr Moeed Yusuf] am a Pakistani citizen by birth and that I do not hold, and have never held citizenship of any other country.”
According to the cabinet division’s notification, out of 19 advisers and specials assistants to the premier, seven special assistants hold dual nationalities.
Those who hold dual nationalities include SAPM on Political Affairs Shahbaz Gill (US), SAPM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar (US), SAPM on Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari (UK), Moeed Yousuf (US), SAPM on Power Division Shahzad Qasim (US), SAPM on Parliamentary Coordination Nadeem Afzal Gondal (Canada) and SAPM on Digital Pakistan Tania S. Aidrus (Canada and Singapore).
