ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has appointed his friend Zulfi Bukh­ari as his special assistant on overseas Pak­is­tanis and human resource development.

“Prime Minister has been pleased to appoint, with effect from [Sept 14, 2018], Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, with the status of minister of state,” read a notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Monday. Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari, aka Zulfi Bukhari, is one of the close friends of the prime minister.

Earlier, for July 25 elections, he was in-charge of elections campaigns of PTI chief Imran Khan for NA-53 Islamabad. He is a dual British-Pakistani national.

On his appointment as special assistant, questions are being raised in opposition circles, as some members said that being a dual national, who is also facing an inquiry by the National Accountability Bureau, Mr Bukhari should have not been made special assistant. It is relevant to note that in a NAB inquiry, he is accused of owning offshore companies in British Virgin Islands and assets beyond his known sources of income.

It may be mentioned that in interviews Imran Khan gave to Geo and ARY news ch­a­nnels he defended Zulfi and said as a British national he was not answerable to any NAB inquiry in Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2018