Mian Sharif donated $8m to Bosnia in 1994: Khaqan

LAHORE: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has revealed that Mian Muhammad Sharif, the father of Mian Nawaz Sharif, personally donated US$8 million to Bosina’s president in 1994 while Khawaja Asif confirmed this on his twitter handle, here on Sunday.

Abbasi revealed this information in an interview with a private television channel. During the interview, he said the Avenfield flats of the Sharif family were purchased by Mian Sharif in 1991 or 1992, and at that time all businessmen used to transfer money through someone in Pakistan and get money in the other country. This happened across the world as there was no other way for the transfer of money.

“Their (Sharif group) business was very big at that time and the amount was not very big for them and these flats were worth less than 2 million pounds,” he claimed.

Going further through his memories, the former PM said in 1994, the war in Bosnia was going on full scale and Sartaj Aziz told him that Mian Muhammad Sharif had collected money to help Bosnia and wished to give the money to their President Alija Izetbegovi. Shahid Abbasi said Sartaj said it was winter and he was not feeling well, so he asked him to go to Frankfurt and Nawaz Sharif would reach there from London and then they went to Bosnia.

He added that it was a very hard time and the area was a complete war zone besides the chilling temperature. “We were four people, two came with Mian Nawaz Sharif from London and I and we went to Bosnia during the real war and Mian Nawaz Sharif presented the cheque of US$8 million to the president,” he revealed.

“The conditions in Bosnia were miserable. It was Friday when we reached there and they did not offer us anything to eat and even they did not have enough fuel to melt the ice,” he said and added that “they just gave us half cup of coffee”.

In response to this interview, which was circulating on the social media, PMLN leader Khawaja Muhammad Asif replied on his twitter that Mian Nawaz Sharif gave him this cash and he made a draft from Citibank Al-Falah Building Lahore, which Mian Sahib took to Bosnia. “Not only that, Nawaz Sharif’s government provided full support to the Bosnian Mujahideen in their war of independence and refugees were provided shelter in Pakistan,” he said and maintained that these traditions were initiated by Nawaz Sharif. “If Imran Khan was the ruler at that time, instead the aid reaching Bosnia, you know, it would have gone into the pocket of a certified thief,” he concluded.