PPP MNA disassociates herself from travel agency business

KARACHI: Following a news story published in the daily ‘The News’ regarding an inquiry against PPP parliamentarian Mehreen Bhutto for amassing wealth beyond known sources of income and owning a travel agency, she disassociated herself from the directorship of the travel business and lodged a fraud case against her business partner, his spouse and others.

However, Additional Sessions Judge, South Karachi Zahida Parveen granted the interim bail to businessman Asadullah Shaikh and his wife Shahnaz Gul. 

According to the official documents, MNA Mehreen Bhutto on August 4, lodged a First Information Report at Clifton Police Station, Karachi against her business partner Asadullah Shaikh, his wife and other directors of M/s AAA Travels for enlisting her as one of the directors of the business without her knowledge and consent. 

She also blamed them for misusing her Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC), passport and other documents.

In the FIR, MNA Bhutto quoted a news story published in ‘The News’ on August 4, 2022, and stated that she came to know through the report that she was a director in AAA travels. She claimed that her name was enlisted as the director of AAA travels without her consent or knowledge and she never singed any document or received any benefit from the company.

She added that she had hired the services of the company for purchasing air tickets. On the other hand, Asadullah Shaikh told ‘The News’ that MNA Mehreen Bhutto got a fake case registered against him and his wife.

He claimed that MNA Bhutto willfully became a partner in the business and received benefits but when FIA’s inquiry started against her, she disassociated herself from the business. 

Apart from the claims of the MNA Bhutto and version of Asadullah shaikh, an investigation on the allegations of corruption and assets beyond known sources of income was initiated against MNA Mehreen Bhutto and her three brothers by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Sindh Zone-II, some eight years back on the compliant of Zulifqar Phulpoto, a resident of district Khairpur.