Ibad conned British taxpayers
Daily Times Monitor
LONDON: The governor of Sindh, Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan, remained on British state welfaree benefits for almost a year even after being nominated as Sindh Governor in Pakistan, reports the Sunday Telegraph.
The newspaper claims that Dr Ishrat Khan, who fled Pakistan to escape charges of murder and kidnapping, came to Britain as an asylum seeker in 1992. He thus made himself eligible for an income support of about 1,000 pounds a month and made British taxpayers pay the 244-pound-a-week rent on the house in northwest London where his family had come to live.
The governors wife, Shaheena, was also a recipient of welfare benefits, says the newspaper. Having been diagnosed with stress disorder, the extra money was added to the family income and allowed Dr Khan, who did not have a job, to care for her full time. When confronted by this newspaper, the report says, Dr Khan admitted that since taking up his position in December 2002, he had received benefits to which he was not entitled. But he insisted that he had refunded the overpayment. Neither he nor his family is now claiming any benefits, and they have not done so since October 2003.
The governors wife who, says the newspaper, continues to divide her time between the palace in Pakistan and the house in Edgware, claimed that she had notified the authorities that her husband had left the country a few weeks after his departure. She told Sunday Telegraph that her husbands recall was very sudden and we were not sure how long it would last and whether he would stay or not. I didnt write straight away but within a month to say he had left.
The newspaper says that the governors absence should have approximately halved the familys benefit payments. But this did not happen. Dr Khans wife claims it was because the authorities did not get back to her. When I got no reply I assumed they were taking their time making a decision and so I continued to cash cheques as normal, she is quoted by the newspaper as saying. Some months later I finally went into the benefits office and told them he was no longer with me and then they sent us a request for repayment, which we paid.
The Sunday Telegraphs investigation reveals, however, that the governors wife contacted the benefits office in October 2003, telling them that her husband had left Britain on September 28 for a period of four months and that she herself would be leaving on October 22.
This was despite the fact that by September 28, 2003, Dr Khan had been the governor of Sindh for almost nine months, during which time he had performed official duties ranging from inaugurating a national immunisation campaign against polio to visiting Saudi Arabia, where he enjoyed the hospitality of the royal family.
Dr Khan said that he had repaid a matter of a few hundred pounds to the social security authorities but he was keen to make sure that any money that might still be outstanding was reimbursed, reports the newspaper. He told the British paper that he would write to the social security officials to clarify the situation, adding: If anything has been done, even inadvertently, I would very much like to rectify it. But in our opinion we have not tried to misguide or mislead.
The Sunday Telegraph reminds its readers, however, that the governors three children still live at the Edgware house and attend full-time education in Britain. Dr Khan claims that the house is owned by a friend. Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad, who belongs to the Mautahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), is said to be an important figure in keeping the ruling coalition together.
According to Sunday Telegraph, all criminal accusations against him in Pakistan were dropped after he was appointed governor of Sindh. Now he is responsible for appointing judges and can also pardon convicts, says the newspaper.
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