Ex-Pak PM Shahid Abbasi accused of taking bribe from Indian company

Islamabad, Aug 1: Shahbaz Gill, chief of staff to PTI chairman Imran Khan, has accused former Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of taking a bribe from an Indian company when he was the Petroleum Minister in the cabinet of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif,.

Gill alleged that Abbasi took a 140 million pkr bribe from the Indian firm as a consultancy fee and the money was transferred to his bank account in three transactions, one in December 2016 and two in January 2017, The News reported.

Gill said he and Abbasi had accounts with the same bank and demanded that details of both accounts be put before the public.

He claimed that the former premier had tried to give the impression of being an upright person as Prime Minister, but this was far from reality.

Responding to Gill's allegations, Abbasi challenged the PTI leader to take the matter to a court of law if he had evidence.

In a statement from Islamabad, the former premier said the PTI and its "mudslinging brigade" had been ruling the country for four years and instituted two cases against him.

Abbasi urged his political opponent to petition a court to file yet another case against him and present the "so-called evidence".

During his press conference, Gill also told reporters that PTI chief Imran Khan was briefed about the relief efforts to help flood victims in Punjab and the progress made on the Ehsaas social safety and poverty alleviation programme.

He said that the PTI chairman would also meet party lawmakers from six Punjab divisions separately to discuss party affairs and a strategy for the next general election. IANS