Dr Ameer Mohammad Khan Jogezai on Sunday night refuted claims that he had excused himself from taking up the post of the governor of Balochistan, he said.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) nominee for the post of Balochistan governorship told that his comments had been "portrayed in an incorrect manner".
"I did not excuse myself from the nomination of Balochistan Governor post," Dr Jogezai explained, adding: "I'd said I won't take the oath as the governor until I'm given the required clearance."
Noting that the government offices will reopen in the coming week after the Eid-ul-Azha holidays, the governor of Balochistan nominee said he would "take oath after the NAB [National Accountability Bureau] issues the certificate next week".
"I do not have any FIR [first information report] or cases against me at present," Dr Jogezai commented, adding that he was "grateful to the prime minister for nominating me for the governorship".
Earlier, a video clip — that surfaced on social media — suggested that Dr Jogezai had excused himself from the nomination. In the video clip, he had expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Imran Khan — the PTI chief — and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) for placing their trust in him.
"I'm very grateful to Khan sahab, my friends in Balochistan, and the BAP," he had said.
The nominee had further explained that multiple members of his family have held top provincial governmental posts, such as ministerships, governorships, and ambassadorships, in the past.
"… They have been an ambassador; my nephew, Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan has been a federal minister … [considering this], I come from an important background," he explained.
Dr Jogezai had said he came to the decision "for my honour and that of my family, my friends, and especially, Imran Khan".
"For me, this post does not hold that much importance but God forbid, someone's honour gets tainted because of me."
He had further noted that there were "no NAB references against me, there is no ongoing inquiry, and there has been no FIR."
"That case is from 2005 so take it up with them. Till then, I'm sitting here, comfortable and relaxed."
Ismail, Sarwar as Govs Sindh, Punjab
He, however, had mentioned that he did not wish to become a cause of problems for anyone else, which is why he had reportedly excused himself from the nomination.
On Saturday, the Khan-led government had nominated Dr Jogezai as the governor of Balochistan, as per a notification issued by the party. It also said the decision to choose him was made by the premier.
The PM, on the other hand, had also officially nominated Imran Ismail and Chaudhry Sarwar as the governors of Sindh and Punjab, respectively, the former of whom will take the oath of office on August 27.
Khan, however, had not yet taken any final decision with regard to the new Punjab governor.
Nevertheless, sources within the PTI said Shah Farman, a party representative, was being considered for the position of governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
NAB's 'Kidney Centre' probe
Consequent to the announcement, the NAB, Pakistan's anti-corruption body, had disclosed that its investigations pertaining to the financial embezzlement cases against Dr Jogezai were in the final phase and that the relevant references were expected to be filed against him soon.
The anti-graft watchdog's executive board, chaired by Qamar Zaman, had approved an inquiry against the Balochistan Governor nominee in 2015.
According to the NAB, Dr Jogezai has been accused of embezzlement of funds related to the official medical equipment purchases for Quetta's Kidney Centre as its chief executive.
