ISLAMABAD: Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, who returned to the country two days ago, appeared before an accountability court in Islamabad after keeping away for five years in an assets beyond means case.
He was accompanied by Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah Khan and party MP Tariq Fazal Chaudhry as judge Muhammad Bashir heard the case.
During the proceeding, the judge questioned where he has been all this time? Dar replied he was out of the country for medical treatment and his passport had been canceled, therefore, he could not return.
The court remarked next hearing will be conducted on the warrant dismiss plea along with the NAB’s assets reference.
Afterwards, the court issued notice to the NAB and sought a detailed answer by October 7.
While speaking to the media outside the court, Dar said he did not have a passport for four years during Imran Khan’s time in power. The minister claimed that Khan had canceled his passport which seemed his priority. “He also put my name on the passport control list and later directed all embassies and high commissions to ensure that my passport is not issued to Dar,” he claimed.
Dar further claimed he was issued a passport two months ago after the coalition government came into power. He said that he had to plan his return.
“Case against me is fake, the actual case was that I had not filed tax returns from 1981 to 2001,” he said. “I never delayed filing tax returns even for 20 minutes in more than 40 years of my life,” he claimed.
He lambasted the PTI leaders questioning where the ministers of Khan used to make big claims during their regime that they would bring Ishaq Dar back to the country through Interpol within two months or three months.
“But, it could not happen because I had submitted all the tax return proofs there and it was a big slap to Imran Khan’s government that they sent me back. Interpol categorically said that they found nothing against Ishaq Dar.”
Without naming the channel name, Dar claimed that one media house broadcast false tax return propaganda against him which he challenged in a UK court. Consequently, the channel apologised in writing and paid Rs30 million as compensation, said, Dar.
