Aleem Khan

Aleem Khan was born on 5 March 1972 in Lahore, Pakistan.[6][7] He hails from a Pashtun family of the Kakazai tribe while his wife, Kiran Aleem Khan, is Punjabi Jat.[8]

He received his early education from Crescent Model Higher Secondary School, Lahore.

He graduated from the Government College University, Lahore in 1992 and has a degree of Bachelor of Arts.[7][9]

Aleem Khan is the owner of Vision Group, a real estate development company in Pakistan owning ventures such as Park View City Lahore and Islamabad, Samaa TV and CineStar Lahore and Multan.

Abdul Aleem Khan made his political debut in 2002 and contested for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan as a candidate of Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PML-Q) from Constituency NA-127 (Lahore-X) in 2002 Pakistani general election but was unsuccessful.[10] He received 20,545 votes and lost the seat to Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri.[11]

He was elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of PML-Q from Constituency PP-147 (Lahore-XI) in the by-elections held in January 2003[12] He received 18,059 votes and defeated Ameer ul Azim, a candidate of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).[11] On 15 November 2003, he was inducted into the provincial Punjab cabinet of Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi[13] and was appointed as Provincial Minister of Punjab for Information Technology.[7] He remained as the Provincial Minister for Information Technology of Punjab till 2007.[14][9]

He contested for the seat of the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-Q from Constituency NA-127 (Lahore-X) in 2008 Pakistani general election but was unsuccessful.[10] In the same election, he also contested for the seat of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of PML-Q from Constituency PP-147 (Lahore-XI) but was unsuccessful.[10] He received 9,493 votes and lost the seat to Mohsin Latif.[15]

In January 2012, he quit PML-Q and joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).[16] In February 2013, he was elected as Deputy President of PTI Lahore but was not given ticket by PTI to contest in 2013 Pakistani general election.[17][18][19]

He contested for the seat of the National Assembly as a candidate of PTI from Constituency NA-122 (Lahore-V) in by-election held in October 2015 but was unsuccessful. He received 72,043 votes and lost the seat to Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.[20] He filed a petition with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to challenge the results of the by-election. He alleged rigging took place in the constituency and claimed to have evidence.[21] but it was not accepted. [22] In July 2016, PTI appointed him as the president of the party's Central Punjab Chapter.[23]

He was elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of PTI from Constituency PP-158 (Lahore-XV) in 2018 Pakistani general election.[24]

On 27 August 2018, he was inducted into the provincial Punjab cabinet of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and was appointed as Provincial Minister of Punjab for Local Government and Community Development. He was given the status of a senior minister in the cabinet.[25][26]

In February 2019, he was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for multiple inquiries, including one involving offshore company Hexam Investment Overseas Ltd, one for owning assets beyond his known sources of income, and inquiries into his questionable business practices related to his housing societies.[27] but all the allegations are now declared baseless [28] [29] The same day, he announced his resignation as Provincial Minister of Punjab for Local Government and Community Development.[30] The Lahore High Court granted bail to Aleem Khan and on 13 April 2020, he was again appointed to the Provincial Cabinet as the Senior Minister of Punjab and Provincial Minister of Punjab for Food but resigned in November 2021.[31][32]

On 20 May 2022, he was de-seated on 16 April 2022 after he voted against his own party chairman, Imran Khan, in a no-confidence motion, stating that he would "unconditionally support the opposition".[33] Aleem Khan, in a tweet, announced that he would retire from politics but soon backtracked and helped form the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party in June 2023.[1][34] He is a founding member and was appointed as president of the party.[35]

Aleem Khan lost the 2015 by-election for the National Assembly due to alleged rigging. He submitted a petition with the Election Commission of Pakistan with evidence, but it was not accepted.[36]

On 6 February 2019, the National Accountability Bureau arrested Aleem Khan for owning assets beyond known sources of income within Pakistan and abroad [5][37] but after 100 days of arrest, numerous court hearings, and multiple appearances, NAB still hasn't proven anything against him. [38]

On 6 November 2022, the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) filed an FIR against Aleem Khan, his wife, and his daughter for alleged document forgery in a land sale case.[39][40] Based on the findings of the final investigation report and recommendations of the executive board, the relevant authority (NAB) has approved the termination of the investigation and has declared the case null and void.[41]

Aleem Khan's societies, Park View City Lahore and Park View City Islamabad were declared illegal in 2020 and 2022 respectively by the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) and the Islamabad High Court.[42][40] but all the allegations are now declared baseless because, based on the findings of the final investigation report and the recommendations of the executive board of the NAB, the competent authority approved the termination of the investigation and closed the case against Aleem Khan in regard to the illegals accusation of land in Park View City Lahore. [43] Moreover, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has also restored a No Objection Certificate (NOC) with regard to the Parkview City housing scheme in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court. [44]

Aleem Khan made two financial transactions of Rs 198 million and Rs 140 million during his tenure as Provincial Minister of Punjab for Information Technology between 2002 and 2007.[45] According to documents submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan in 2018, Aleem Khan declared his assets worth Rs. 918 million (US$3.2 million), most of which he funnelled through loans from his own company.[46][47]