Imran Khan aide Fawad Chaudhry also accused the journalist of taking bribes.

Islamabad:

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s aide and former federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday lost his cool and heckled a journalist who asked about corruption allegations against Farah Khan, believed to be a close friend of the first lady Bushra Bibi.

The incident took place at a press conference outside the Supreme Court today, following which mediapersons boycotted the meeting that was attended by ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members Asad Umar, Shahbaz Gill and Ali Muhammad Khan, and demanded an apology from Chaudhry, Geo TV reported.

The incident took place when Mr Umar, former federal planning and development minister, was briefing mediapersons, outside the country’s Supreme Court and a journalist asked a question about Farah Khan, a friend of Imran Khan’s wife.

Mr Chaudhry responded harshly and the situation quickly escalated into a heated argument with the former minister accusing the journalist of taking bribes and calling him “kiraye ka aadmi (a man who has been hired)”.

Although other journalists and media representatives attempted to intervene and defuse the situation, Mr Chaudhry continued to make derogatory remarks and refused to apologise, following which journalists boycotted the press conference.

Earlier a photograph of Farah Khan seen on a flight with a handbag that is claimed to cost $90,000, had gone viral on social media. According to reports in local Pakistan media, PMLN leader and former finance minister Miftah Ismail alleged that the handbag was worth $90,000 (Rs 16.5 million).

On Tuesday, Mr Ismail while addressing a press conference alongside former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, alleged that Farah Khan had “taken money” to get civil servants transferred and posted according to their choices.

“Farah Gujjar, while using a Punjab government’s plane, had a bag that was worth $90,000,” Geo TV quoted Mr Ismail as claiming.

Mr Ismail also alleged that Farah Khan was a frontwoman of Usman Buzdar, the former chief minister of Punjab.

Another Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Romina Khurshid Alam tweeted, “Farah Khan, Bushra’s Frontwoman who ran away. The bag with her is for $90,000. Yes that’s ninety thousand dollars.”

According to Geo TV, Farah Khan, whose real name is Farah Shahzadi, had reached Dubai on April 3, the same day when Imran Khan dissolved the National Assembly and the no-trust motion brought by the opposition was dismissed by the speaker.