Islamabad:Former Defense Minister Pervez Khattak’s statements in court have unveiled intriguing details regarding his stance against Prime Minister Imran Khan. Khattak informed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) that following a summary presented in the cabinet, he insisted on reviewing the contract. However, contrary to his advice, the summary was approved without consultation at the insistence of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In his courtroom testimony, Pervez Khattak did not mention the specific contents of the aforementioned statement given to NAB. According to sources, after completing Khattak’s testimony in Adiala Jail on Wednesday, the NAB team left the court. However, unexpectedly, the NAB Deputy Prosecutor returned and requested that Pervez Khattak be designated as a hostile witness, a request that was not granted.
Why was Pervez Khattak designated as a hostile witness?
In his testimony, Pervez Khattak stated that during the investigation, the inspection team informed him of the presence of a sealed envelope with a note during the cabinet meeting. Khattak further elaborated in court that the inspection revealed a note written on the envelope indicating that the amount was to be paid to Malik Riaz of Bahria Town even before the cabinet’s approval.
The part of Pervez Khattak’s testimony that NAB intended to use him as a witness was based on the testimony of the NAB investigation. This is why NAB requested that Pervez Khattak be designated as a hostile witness.
Pervez Khattak stated in his testimony that Shahzad Akbar informed him during the briefing that an agreement had been reached between the British and Pakistani governments to recover illegally transferred £190 million to Pakistan.
Pervez Khattak stated that Shahzad Akbar presented a sealed envelope during the cabinet meeting and stated that the contents of the contract were not mentioned in the cabinet agenda but were presented in the additional agenda. The cabinet members were also briefed on the contents of the agenda.
