Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has not resigned yet: sources
Ishaq Dar is in London for heart treatment.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Important development has been made regarding Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s decision of stepping down from his office as government sources have on Saturday confirmed that Dar has not resigned yet.
Dunya News President Kamran Khan disclosed that Prime Minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi requested Ishaq Dar twice to resign but the minister refused to do so by saying that it is not the proper time. Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shehbaz Sharif also made a request of same nature to the finance minister as he thinks Pakistan needs more energetic and skillful team.
Kamran Khan further added that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif does not want to pressurize Dar for resignation as he is a senior party leader who wants to face all cases while sitting in the office. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, therefore, is in a lot of pressure at the moment. The ultimate decision regarding Dar’s resignation will be taken by Nawaz Sharif.
State Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb also affirmed in her media talk that Ishaq Dar has not resigned. The finance minister will face all the charges that have been levelled him in the NAB references, she commented.
Earlier, it was declared that Ishaq Dar has decided to resign owing to bad health, and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has been informed about the decision.
The finance minister, who is in London for heart treatment, has been indicted by an accountability court for holding assets beyond known source of income in a reference that was filed against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the directions of the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan in the high profile Panama Papers case.
Explore: Accountability court issues non-bailable arrest warrants against Ishaq Dar
Furthermore, non-bailable arrest warrants have been issued against the minister for continuously failing to appear before the court. The NAB had requested the Interior Ministry to put Ishaq Dar’s name on the Exit Control List (ECL). The minister is likely to return to Pakistan in December.
Read also: NAB requests interior ministry to put Dar’s name on ECL
Let it be known that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and other opposition parties have been demanding Ishaq Dar’s resignation since his name surfaced in alleged money laundering.
