Islamabad: Shortly after a friend of Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi left Pakistan, an image surfaced on social media, which showed her travelling in a flight with a luxury handbag. The friend, Farah Khan, left for Dubai on Sunday after being accused of corruption amid the political turmoil in the country.
The photo, circulating widely on Twitter, shows Khan in a flight with the bag kept near her feet. It is not clear when the photo was taken.
The leaders of opposition parties in Pakistan have claimed that the bag is worth $90,000. “Farah Khan, Bushra’s Frontwoman who ran away. The bag with her is for $90,000. Yes that’s ninety thousand dollars,” tweeted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Romina Khurshid Alam.
The photo has invited comments from other Twitter users as well. “Traveling in a private jet to Dubai only costs more than 50,000 US dollars. Hermes sandals,” a user said. Khan’s husband had left Pakistan before her.
PML-N leader and former Pakistan Finance Minister, Miftah Ismail, alleged that Farah Gujjar while using a Punjab government’s plane, had a bag that was worth $90,000.” The PML-N leader alleged that the First Lady’s close aide “took the money” for the transfer of civil servants in Punjab. Including Usman Buzdar into his broadside, Ismail said the former Punjab Chief Minister was “also someone’s frontman”.
Opposition parties in Pakistan allege that Farah Khan received a huge sum of money for getting officers transferred and posted according to their choices, calling the scam the “mother of all scandals” amounting to 6 billion Pakistani rupees ($32 million).
Amid the focus on Farah Khan, Imran Khan’s step-son Musa Maneka has distanced himself from her. Musa Maneka is the son of Bushra Bibi and her former husband Khawar Farid Maneka.
“Farah Khan has gone to Dubai to seek residence there,” Maneka was quoted as saying by Geo News. “Our family (the Maneka family) has no link with the alleged deals done by Farah Khan.”
Maneka added that Farah Khan had wronged his mother and Imran Khan.
Maryam Nawaz, the PML-N vice president and deposed premier Nawaz Sharif’s daughter, claimed that Khan has done this corruption at the behest of Imran and his wife.
According to Maryam, Prime Minister Imran Khan fears that once he is out of power, his “thefts” will be exposed.
Farah Khan’s original name is Farah Shehzadi. It is said that she boarded an international airline with the number EK 623 to reach Dubai and used a Pakistani passport.
There are reports that more close aides of Khan have planned to leave the country after he loses the top office.
On Sunday, Khan dissolved Parliament after the deputy speaker dismissed a no-trust motion against him.
The opposition parties moved the Supreme Court to challenge the deputy speaker’s act as “illegal and unconstitutional”.
President Arif Ali, meanwhile, asked Khan to continue as Prime Minister until a caretaker premier is installed.