Shaza Fatima Khawaja, the minister of State for IT and Telecommunication, was quoted by Business Recorder as saying that former caretaker federal minister Dr Umar Saif sabotaged a deal to bring PayPAYal to Pakistan by leaking the news before time.
As per Business Recorder, the IT Minister told a presser, “Bringing PayPal to Pakistan was a private deal, which Dr Saif leaked before time. This action annoyed PayPal and he (Dr Umar) sabotaged it”.
IT Minister released her response in a tweet to the viral statement: “I have been quoted out of context.” She further elaborated that her intention was never to name or blame anyone.
The Current talked to Shaza Khawaja about her statement. “The comment was mainly that he deal was private and it didnt go through with no intention of accusing anyone,” she stressed. While mentioning her tweet, in which she said, “I have always respected Dr. Umar’s contribution to the sector,” she added that she had tweeted about it and made an official statement about it as well.
The Current inquired her if she meant that the deal was made privately by Dr Umar, but she declined. “I just said that PayPal was a deal between two private entities that didnt go through,” she emphasised.
Notably, a year ago, on October 25, it was reported that Umar Saif, the then Minister for IT and Telecommunication, had shared that Pakistan would hear “good news” regarding Paypal in the near future.
However, the Current reached out to Dr Umar Saif, who refused to comment on it.
