Advisor to newly-elected Pakistani premier resigns

Newly-elected Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday accepted the resignation of one of his advisors, the Prime Minister House said.

Babar Awan, an advisor to the prime minister on parliamentary affairs, resigned on Tuesday evening when the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a corruption case against the former Water And Power Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and the then law minister.

Awan was the law minister during center-left Pakistan People’s Party’s government from 2008-2013.

Later, he left the party and joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Khan appointed Awan as his advisor after assuming the office of the premier on Aug. 18.

According to the NAB, the former ministers are facing the corruption charges for the delay in Nandipur power project which caused a loss of Rs. 27 billion ($219 million) to the national exchequer.

However, Awan has rejected the allegations. "[I] Requested NAB several times to grant me my right to defend myself against false allegations but I was never given that chance since day first, " Awan said in a Twitter post.