Lahore, Aug. 18 (TNS): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Punjab chief minister nominee has a ‘stained’ past as Sardar Usman Buzdar was nominated in a murder case in 2000 and paid blood money to resolve the issue, media reports revealed.
The case against Usman Buzdar, his brother and his father was registered when six people were shot dead during 1998 polls. The court declared them guilty in 2000, the reports added.
However, Buzdar and his father paid Rs750,000 as blood money and settled the case, police sources added.
Further, reports claimed that Usman Buzdar was also involved in tax evasion. He paid his taxes in 2017 for the first time, the reports claimed.
Moreover, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) spokesperson told media that a case of bogus hirings was registered against Usman Buzdar in 2016 but it was ended due to lack of evidence.
Saddam Buzdar, the cousin of Usman Buzdar, had filed an application against him. When the investigation started, files related to the case were burnt, the applicant alleged.
Buzdar’s brother, however, dismissed the allegations as baseless, mentioning that the NAB had dropped the case after it failed to find sufficient evidence.
PTI on Friday nominated Sardar Usman Ahmad Khan Buzdar for the coveted slot of Punjab chief minister.
According to sources, the decision was taken after Buzdar held an important meeting with PTI chief Imran Khan and Jahangir Tareen in Bani Gala. Imran also consulted Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, who too endorsed Buzdar’s nomination.
Buzdar had garnered 26,897 votes from PP-286 Taunsa Sharif and defeated independent candidate Khawaja Muhammad Nizamul Mehmood.
Earlier, he remained a member of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) from 2002-2008 and later switched to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). In 2013, he contested the elections on PML-N’s ticket but lost to a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate.
