Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar condemned the summons from the National Accountability Bureau to Bushra Bibi, the wife of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, terming it a means for the PDM rulers to stop the party chief.

The PTI leader slammed the PDM government for “stooping to this level” in its desperate attempt to impede Khan. 

Umar’s comments come as a rebuke to the NAB’s notice issued on February 21 to Khan and his wife. The summons required both of them to appear before the NAB’s probe team on March 9th in connection with the Toshakhana scam. Umar took to Twitter on Tuesday to express his distaste of the incumbent government, stressing that the rulers had fallen to an all-time low by summoning Khan’s spouse, who has nothing to do with politics.

The PTI leader further said the notice was particularly shameful as Bushra Bibi had never held public office.

“Sending a NAB notice to [B]ushra bibi who is a housewife, has nothing to do with politics and has never held public office is utterly shameful. How low will they fall in their desperate attempts to stop Imran Khan,” he tweeted.

NAB’s notice for March 9 appearance

The anti-graft watchdog’s Rawalpindi branch summoned the former premier and his wife hours after NAB Chairman Aftab Sultan tendered his resignation who reportedly refused to “toe the line”.

In its notice to Khan, the anti-corruption crusader wrote: “The competent authority has taken cognizance of an offence allegedly committed by the accused persons under the provisions of NAO, 1999.”

The inquiry proceedings have revealed that during Khan’s tenure as premier, he retained some state gifts presented to him by various foreign dignitaries.

The notice by the anti-graft watchdog called upon Khan to appear before the combined investigation team at its Islamabad office and record his statement in this regard.

On November 19, the NAB had taken notice of the alleged non-disclosure of the actual value of gifts received by the former prime minister, his wife, and other cabinet members.

Sources privy to the matter said that there was a discrepancy between the actual value of the gifts received by the former prime minister and the sale.