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Thursday March 28, 2024

Sidelined PTI fund collector denies Jewish, Indian funding to PTI

Dr Khan says he’s ready to appear in any court to testify

By Usman Manzoor
October 10, 2015
ISLAMABAD: The person who used to collect donations on behalf of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the United States has trashed all allegations against the party of taking funds from Jewish or Indian lobbyist firms or any other interest groups.
Dr Nasrullah Khan remained in charge of fund raising for the PTI during 2010 and mid-2013. Despite that Dr Khan has been sidelined by the PTI chief, he has come on record to state the truth.
After going through his record, Dr Khan has clarified the allegations leveled by the PML-N and presented a cheque for $200 carrying some Jewish name but said it was given on behalf of a Pakistani named Asif Chaudhry as fee to attend a dinner. The doctor said all payments, which were in small donations, were from Pakistanis who run businesses in the US.
He said any contribution that was not from Pakistanis had never been sent to the PTI in Pakistan. Dr Khan said he was ready to appear in any court to testify, if asked.
Dr Nasrullah Khan was sent the following questionnaire to know the actual situation.
“Q: Since when have you handled donations to the PTI?
Dr Khan: From Feb 2010 to 6/2013.
Q: How much of these donations were handled by you in percentage?
Dr Khan: 100 percent.
Q: Who else was handling these donations?
Dr Khan: Each event organizer will collect donations and all the money will be deposited into the bank account.
Q: Have you followed the accusations against PTI of getting funds from Jewish/Indian lobby?
Dr Kahn: I saw Hamid Mir’s capital talk.
Q: Have you followed the accusations against PTI of getting funds from Jewish/Indian lobby?
Dr Khan: No lobbyist ever donated to PTI or we contacted any lobbyist, no lobbyist approached us for donation.
Q: How many non-Pakistanis donated to PTI and do you know how many were Jews/Indians?
Dr Khan: Looking at the record I found, Barry Schneps but it was written for Asif Ch.
Q: Why do you think this has been raised at this time when the amounts are peanuts?
Dr: Khan: It is related to NA 122 and other by-elections.”
The doctor has further narrated in his email conversation that all contributions were recorded and no money was received from any foreign corporation. He said thousands of donations were received from February 2010 to June 2013 amounting to approximately Rs2.3 million. 99.5% or more money came from overseas Pakistanis; some may have written checks from their business, but we never promised anything in return. If anything like signed bats and books that was sold on bids. Corporations’ names mentioned in TV are owned by Pakistanis”, Dr Nasrullah Khan said.
Regarding the cheque of Barry Schneps, the doctor said he was an immigration lawyer and wrote the cheque for his partner Asif Ch.
“We do not even know any of them; they came to listen to Imran Khan in 10/2012 and bought tickets to attend Imran’s speech. It was $200.”