Imran admits having no 13-year money record

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan has admitted in his televised interview that he does not have the complete record of 13-year-old money trails that led to the purchase of land in Banigala, Islamabad.

Khan was short of words to explain the missing links yet he tried to elaborate that the money came in installments but two tranches do not carry Jemima’s name and it was difficult for him to trace the 13-year-old record.

In an interview to a news channel, the PTI chief was seen going an extra mile to explain what he could not. He himself is asking his opponents to bring the receipts of money trails of the last 40 years while himself has been unable to produce 14-year-old money trail. Khan said in his interview that he did not have money in 2002 therefore Jemima gave him the money, which she would send to one of his friends Rashid.

The money came in four installments of which two bear Jemima’s name while the other two do not have any name on them. The bank through which Jemima sent the money is no more now, said Khan adding that it was difficult for him to bring 13-year-old transaction. He said that he was ready to face any JIT or any other probe because he brought money to Pakistan unlike the Sharifs, who took money out of Pakistan. “Mine is not a case of tax evasion," Khan held.

It is worth mentioning here that in every speech, Imran Khan would proudly boost that he brought money to Pakistan through the banking channels and he had a record of each penny but when it came to provide the proofs, Khan is seen explaining the missing links of money trails while being short of words.

Just like the Qatari prince in the Sharifs episode, a character named Rashid Khan has appeared in Imran Khan’s story through whom the money was paid for the purchase of Banigala land. Khan so far has been unable to prove the source of money used to buy the land in Banigala. Sometime he would say Jemima paid for the Banigala land and on other occasions he would claim that it was a gift from Jemima. He has also been saying that he borrowed the money from his former wife and later paid the money back by selling his London flat.

Meanwhile, when the Supreme Court has asked him to provide the money trails, he is now saying that the money came through his friend Rashid Khan while he could not provide any receipt of two tranches and it is not clear whether Jemima sent those installments or someone else did.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday inquired from Imran Khan’s lawyer Naeem Bokhari that which of the two took place first, the formation of Niazi Services Limited or the purchase of London flat. The chief justice told Bokhari that he will have to prove the source of money and failure to do so will have its consequences.