Khawaja Asif denies the resignation, label the false viral tweet

The Federal Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, rejected on Thursday speculations that he has resigned, qualifying the “completely false” statements.

The leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) published a screenshot of a shared thread in X (previously Twitter) of journalist Zubair Ali Khan stating that Asif had resigned his position in office.

Marking the “false” screen capture, Asif wrote: “With apologies, this gentleman has expressed his wishes on this tweet, not in reality.”

Khan said Asif had resigned in response to “intensified controversy around the arrest of the income of the Sialkot Deputy Commissioner (ADCR) a few days ago for charges of alleged financial corruption.”

According to Zubair’s thread, “in the resignation presented to Dr. Tauqeer Shah, advisor to the Prime Minister’s office, Khawaja Asif declared that the ADCR should be released or its resignation should be accepted.”

Khan also claimed that an “influential person” was involved in the arrest, someone who, according to the reports, was a subordinate within the Department of the Minister of Defense.

He later shared an update, also stating that ASIF and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had held a meeting in Murree, during which PML-N president advised Asif to withdraw his resignation, and the Minister of Defense agreed.

“After the meeting, Khawaja Asif has become unattainable; neither any minister or journalist can contact him. All his telephone numbers has been turned off and moved to an unrelated location,” Khan said.

The rumors began after Asif alleged that a large segment of the Bureaucracy of Pakistan sought refuge and citizenship in Portugal, carrying billions of rupees with them.

In a publication on Tuesday, Asif wrote in X: “More than half of the bureaucracy of our beloved homeland has already acquired properties in Portugal and is now preparing to ensure citizenship.”

“These are prominent bureaucrats who, after embezzling billions, now enjoy a relaxed and retired life,” he wrote.

When commenting on politicians, Asif commented that “they feed on leftovers and make noise, without having plots or having foreign citizenship, because they are obliged by the need to dispute the elections.”

He also claimed that “the key figure facilitated by bureaucracy and other elites to obtain refuge in Portugal is Mr. Virk.”