Wealth of a close friend of Imran Khan’s wife increased fourfold during his term as Prime Minister
According to a report by The News International, Farhat Shahzadi, a close friend of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife, saw a significant increase in her wealth during his tenure. While Imran Khan was urging overseas Pakistanis to invest in the country, Farhat Shahzadi and her family were busy expanding their businesses and registering companies in the United Kingdom. The report reveals that from 2019 to 2021, Farhat Shahzadi and her family recorded/acquired four companies dealing in the real estate business in the UK, with three companies being registered/developed by her sister and one by Farhat Shahzadi and her husband. Farhat Shahzadi and her husband, living abroad, have been facing serious corruption allegations, but Imran Khan has dismissed these as political victimization by the current government.
The report also states that Farhat Shahzadi’s declared wealth increased by over four times from 2018 onwards, with her and her husband acquiring the company Goldstar Euro Limited in the UK in May 2020 amid allegations of money laundering. However, Farhat Shahzadi’s husband refuted these allegations as mere allegations. Farhat Shahzadi’s sister Musarat Khan also registered a company dealing in the real estate business in the UK, along with owning several other companies, including Dayyan Enterprises Limited, Maximum M K Tradings Ltd, and DKhans Constructions Limited, among others.
Before Imran Khan came into power, Farhat Shahzadi’s declared assets were reported to be worth PKR 231,635,297 in 2017. Her declared assets reached PKR 971 million in 2021, within the first three years of Imran Khan’s government. The report also revealed that Farhat Shahzadi and her husband availed themselves of the Tax Amnesty Scheme 2019 to whiten their black money, with the couple declaring PKR 328.7 million and PKR 20 million, respectively. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has lodged a case against Farhat Shahzadi under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. The government reportedly plans to return her and her husband to Pakistan through Interpol.
