No PTI beneficiary in Kohistan Scandal: Muzzammil Aslam

Advisor to the KP Chief Minister on Finance and Interprovincial coordination Muzzammil Aslam has stated that the Kohistan corruption case is the only non-political corruption case in which neither any PTI leader received funds in their account, nor did any payments go to a “Maqsood chaprasi” or a “papad seller”. He said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been unjustly targeted with hundreds of cases, and if PTI had any involvement in this case, countless more cases would have been made. On the other hand, PTI has not used this case as a political revenge narrative.

Muzzammil Aslam said that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has strongly expressed that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is fully ready to cooperate and that the funds related to the Kohistan corruption case should be reimbursed to the province.

He said the reality is that those who ruled the country for 75 years left loopholes in the system so that things could continue unchecked. Despite provincial autonomy under the 18th Amendment, the federal government has continued to play a role in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s payment disbursement system, and all payments are still cleared through federal checks. This ensures checks and balances on both the provincial government and the relevant accounts. Therefore, it’s clear that the Finance Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has no direct involvement or responsibility in this case.

Muzzammil Aslam emphasized that time has proven the provincial government is not involved in the case. Reacting to the ongoing narratives around corruption in Pakistan, he said Pakistan ranks 135th out of 180 on the Corruption Perception Index, a position it has hovered around for decades. The country’s judiciary ranks 129 out of 142, and its Human Development Index is 168 out of 193, clearly reflecting the nation’s 78-year track record.

He questioned who has ruled Pakistan to bring it to this point. The answer: political parties like PPP and PML-N, excluding PTI, have ruled for 42 years, while military dictatorships lasted 32 years, and PTI under Imran Khan ruled only for 3.5 years. Yet, he pointed out, the country’s downfall is narrated as if all damage happened solely during PTI’s tenure.

He added that the Kohistan scandal has now neared conclusion and the NAB has recovered the funds. He said efforts are being made to divert attention from bigger national scandals by making Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the focus of headlines. He questioned what happened with the recent sugar scandal worth Rs. 250 billion, the wheat import scandal under the caretaker and PDM governments worth Rs. 400 billion, and the NAB NRO involving Rs. 1100 billion under the PDM. He also questioned the whereabouts of Islamabad road development funds, the Rs.1000 billion financial irregularities in Punjab, the Neelum-Jhelum project corruption of Rs. 500 billion, and the status of the Rs. 5000 billion circular debt and IPP cases, as well as the Toshakhana case from 1947 to 2025.

Read also: NAB summons PTI leader Azam Swati in Kohistan corruption scandal

Muzzammil Aslam criticized the double standards, saying that when a natural disaster hits Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PTI is labeled as incompetent, but when the same happens in Punjab or under federal rule, praise is published in newspapers. He described this as sycophancy from the 1990s and stated that people have changed — now the youth are in charge, and they are aware of the truth.