WEB DESK: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Internal Accountability Cell has levelled serious allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement against former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa finance and health minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra. The former provincial minister has, however, dismissed all allegations as “politically motivated” and “baseless.”
The internal body has sent a 24-point questionnaire to Jhagra, accusing him of misconduct during his tenure in the previous PTI-led provincial government. The allegations include approving health department summaries without proper scrutiny, irregularities in procurement processes, and damaging the Sehat Card health insurance system.
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The accountability cell claims that under Jhagra’s watch as finance minister, the province’s finances deteriorated to near-default levels. As health minister, he allegedly approved all department summaries “without due scrutiny” and presided over “large-scale mismanagement and corruption” in health sector procurements.
The former minister also faces accusations of violating rules in the appointment of Bank of Khyber’s managing director.
Jhagra said that he has already submitted a comprehensive 35-page response addressing each accusation, and suggested the timing was suspicious: “These actions against me began precisely when rumours surfaced about my potential inclusion in the provincial cabinet.”
He maintained that the PTI’s accountability cell had no grounds for its claims and that he had discharged all his duties properly during his ministerial tenures.
The internal inquiry comes amid ongoing turmoil within PTI ranks, with the party’s leadership pushing for greater accountability of former office-holders. This can signal intensifying internal divisions as the party reorganizes following its ouster from power.