Farah Khan, a close friend of Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, was provided security cover outside her residence by the Pakistan Punjab Police officials soon after the former cricketer-turned-politician was elected as the prime minister in 2018, Pakistani website Geo News reported. The security cover was provided despite the fact that neither Khan nor her husband held any public office during the period.
A police officer on condition of anonymity told the Pakistani websire that the cops were stationed outside her home in the upscale Defence areas of Lahore in September 2018. The security detailed was removed only last month during Ramadan.
According to the report, the police personnel were told to work in three shifts of eight hours each to ensure that Khan’s residence was protected round-the clock. Four cops were deployed per shift, which means that 12 police personnel and three vehicles were dedicated to protect Farah Khan.
Another cop claimed that the security cover was provided to Bushra Bibi’s friend on the directions of Ayesha Butt, the superintendent of police (SP). When asked, Butt denied any knowledge of the security being provided to Khan.
“I had no link to this,” she said, “I have never been posted in the branch which decides where security will be deployed.”
The personal life of Farah Khan has been under scrutiny. According to report, she left Pakistan for Dubai the very day Imran Khan dissolved the national assembly, later restored by the Supreme Court resulting in trust vote which ousted the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf chief from office.
A report in Pakistan website The News claimed Farah Khan’s wealth grew exponentially after Imran Khan became the prime minister. The report said that her declared wealth worth 23 crore Pakistani rupees hiked to 97 crore rupees between 2017 and 2021. In the first three years of PTI rule, she bought several properties in different cities and invested hundreds of million rupees. She is also believed to have bought some luxurious properties in Lahore and Islamabad including a posh villa.
Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in April authorised an enquiry on Farah Khan over allegations of accumulating “illegal assets beyond known sources of income” among other charges.
Last month, NAB opened a case to probe how her assets grew exponentially during the tenure of former prime minister Imran Khan.
However, Imran Khan defended Farah Khan and asked how a case of corruption can be made against her.
“She was not a public office holder,” the former prime minister said, “She has been working in real estate for the last 20 years.”
(With ANI inputs)
