Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau has approved an investigation into the affairs of Farhat Shahzadi, better known as Farah Khan, for money laundering and illegal activities, the anti-corruption body said on Friday.
The inquiry against Ms Shahzadi, allegedly a friend of Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan, includes "allegations of accumulation of illegal assets beyond known sources of income, money laundering and maintaining various accounts in the name of different businesses" the bureau said in a statement.
Ms Shahzadi accumulated Rs 847 million ($4.5m) in the past three years "which [is] not commensurate with her stated account profile", according to the statement.
"These credits were received in her personal account and withdrawn immediately after credit within a short time period."
NAB said it will launch an investigation into Ms Shahzadi after media reports claimed she had illegally acquired assets.
"While reviewing the income tax returns of Farhat Shahzadi (Alias: Farah Khan), it was allegedly observed that her assets have significantly increased from the year 2018 onwards for unknown reasons."
Ms Shahzadi's various social media profiles say she is a "proud member" of Mr Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Mr Khan assumed power in 2018.
Ms Shahzadi said she will co-operate with the inquiry.
"We will neither hide nor avoid investigations. We will appear before NAB's inquiry team both in person and through our legal team," she wrote on Twitter.
Last month, Pakistani politician Maryam Nawaz named and shamed Ms Shahzadi at a Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) gathering, for her illegal activities.
“I dare to name Farah, a friend of Bushra Bibi who is involved in receiving millions of rupees in transfers and postings and these are directly connected to BaniGala [residence of Imran Khan],” Ms Nawaz said at the time, according to local reports.
“The mother of all scandals of transfers and postings amounting to Rs6 billion ($32 million) is related to BaniGala. In the coming days, startling evidence will surface. Imran Khan has fears that once he is out of power his 'thefts' will be exposed."
On her Instagram account, Ms Shahzadi is pictured with Ms Bibi, Mr Khan, on what appears to be a private jet, and at the BaniGala residence, often with expensive designer clothes and bags.
Bushra Bibi, 47, is a mother of five. She married Mr Khan a few months before he became Pakistan's 22nd prime minister in August 2018.
Imran Khan was ousted in early April after the PML-N and Pakistan's People's Party allied against him in a no-confidence vote, leading to Shahbaz Sharif, 70, replacing him. with 174 votes out of 342 in parliament.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Schedule
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21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
