By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Asim Saleem Bajwa, an adviser to Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, stepped down on Monday, weeks after allegations regarding his family's assets.
"I requested the honorable Prime Minister to relinquish me from the additional portfolio of SAPM [Special Assistant to the Prime Minister] on information and broadcasting. He very kindly approved my request," Bajwa, a retired lieutenant general who once headed the media wing of Pakistan's army, tweeted.
He, however, will continue to head the $64 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which aims to connect China's northwestern Xinjiang province to the Gwadar port in southern Pakistan through a network of roads, railways, and pipelines to transport cargo, oil, and gas.
Bajwa, in a news report, was accused of using his influence in helping his family set up multi-million dollar businesses in the US. He denies the charge.
He quit on Sept. 4 but the prime minister refused to accept his resignation, saying he was satisfied with an explanation regarding his money trail. Opposition parties criticized the move, asking the former serviceman to leave office and face an inquiry.
