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Imran Khan trades counter attacks with Nawaz Sharif

August 03, 2012 23:43 IST

Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan on Friday responded to corruption allegations leveled against him by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, by accusing former premier Nawaz Sharif of failing to pay taxes and investing billions of dollars abroad.

Khan, who heads the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party, accused the PML-N chief Sharif of defaulting on bank loans worth Rs 6 billion. "Nawaz Sharif borrowed this money and never returned it," he alleged.

The response from the former cricket captain came after several senior PML-N leaders accused him of investing millions of dollars received as donations for his cancer hospital through shell companies abroad.

Khan posed 11 questions for Sharif and challenged him to answer them live on a TV show. "Nawaz Sharif should come before the public and answer my questions," he told a news conference.

Responding to the PML-N's allegations that he had never paid taxes, Khan presented his tax returns. He further said he had bought land worth Rs 40 million in Islamabad after selling his London flat in 2003 for around Rs 70 million.

"All my assets have been declared and they will be put up on my website. All of my properties are in my name, they are not in anyone else's name," Khan said.

Khan said author Raymond Baker had written in his book that Sharif was involved in corruption worth $417 million, including allegedly receiving $160 million as commission from building the Islamabad-Lahore motorway.

He also questioned how Sharif had raised funds to purchase four apartments in London that are now worth Rs 4.5 billion. He further alleged Sharif had taken a loan from Al Taufiq Bank worth $30 million and then defaulted on it.
Rezaul H Laskar in Islamabad
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