PML-N's fact sheet on corrupion of our saviours in Pakistan Army

Here is an account of the first three years of corruption by General Musharraf and his cronies in Pakistan Army (1999-2002) documented by PML-N. It may be noted that the level of corruption by the military and civil establishment in Pakistan was much higher in the subsequent 6 years, 2002-2007. Source

In the words Aal-e-Hashmat, there are certain innocent questions which beg answers :

· Why the flag-bearers of NRO scenario are blind towards this aspect of institutionalized corruption in Pakistan.

· Why only politicians and bureaucrats should be punished under NAB ordinance and not the army officials.

· Why the Parliament never thought of causing an amendment in the Army Act if the Generals cannot be investigated by NAB and cannot be tried in ordinary courts.

· Have any President of Pakistan, being Supreme Commander of forces, ever bothered to gather the statistics of inquiries or court martials conducted in connection with corrupt army officers and their organizations.

· Have the Supreme Court of Pakistan ever thought of initiating a suo moto action over any financial scam involving army generals.

· Have any Bar Association ever thought of moving a petition before the Supreme Court to bring corrupt army generals in the ambit of ‘equal citizenship’ given in the Constitution of Pakistan.

· Have any prominent anchor of media like Kashif Abbassi, Hamid Mir, Dr Shahid, Mazhar Abbas and Talat Hussain ever tried to float an opinion inviting discussions and comments of intelligentsia over the issue that if politicians and bureaucrats are being dragged in the streets of public consent then the generals should also be treated at par.

Let us hope that the Supreme Court steps forward to provide justice on the basis of equal basic rights for all and no citizen of Pakistan or institution be declared as ‘sacred cow’ now.

FACT SHEET

Track Record of Musharraf Regime

Released by Muhammad Siddique-ul-Farooque Central Information Secretary

Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) at a press conference on Sunday , October 06,2002.

The government of General Pervez Musharraf, which forced its way into power on October 12, 1999, has completed the tenure allowed to it by the Supreme Court under the controversial Rule of Necessity. It is time that the people of Pakistan take stock of the three-years performance of this regime, and decide through ballot whether they would like their elected government to continue the policies and mode of government introduced and practiced by the military rulers, or they want a government more open, more competent, more efficient, more sincere, more answerable and more responsive to the needs and aspirations of the nation.

CORRUPTION

One of the reasons, belatedly stated by General Musharraf for his capture of power, was that he wanted the country rid of corruption. In fact, his move was designed to provide protection to the most corrupt element in Pakistan -- the top brass of the armed forces. Out of the 135 billion rupees of defense budget, about one third of the amount, or 45 billion rupees are normally spent on purchase of weapons and equipment. And, as this fact sheet would show, an estimated amount of 31.64 billion went into the pockets of corrupt generals and other senior officers.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, fully aware of this situation, had decided to eliminate this corruption. For the first time in Pakistan’s history, he dismissed Admiral Mansurul Haq for receiving illegal gratification in the submarine deal. The Prime Minister had decided to arrest the admiral and recover the amount that he had looted, but his colleagues in the military urged the Prime Minister to limit the action against Mansurul Haq to mere forced retirement in order, what they called, to protect the image of the institution, and then the same friends helped Mansurul Haq to flee abroad.

However, the corrupt generals, feeling the sword of accountability dangling over their heads, planned removal of the elected government, and then launched a campaign to malign politicians and the political institutions. The objective was to keep public attention away from their own misdeeds. General Pervez Musharraf made it clear on the out set that that the National Accountability Bureau, headed by a serving general, would not probe into alleged corruption of the military and the judiciary. Later, publication by courageous pressmen of revealing reports about massive bribes, commissions kick-backs in armament purchase deals, and projects handles by the Army Welfare Trust, Shaheen Foundation, Defense Housing Authority etc. forced the regime to take token action against Admiral (retd.) Mansurul Haq, who was let off after recovery of a meager amount of 750 million rupees out of his huge ill-gotten assets worth $100 million, i.e. 6 billion rupees.

The fact remains that corruption is deep rooted among the higher ranks of the armed forces and the institutions under military control, and the regime blatantly refuses to check it. NAB Prosecutor-General Raja Muhammad Bashir categorically stated on August 6, 2002 that the NAB law would not be invoked in any way against the members of the armed forces. The military spokesmen have been arguing that the armed forces had their own internal system of accountability. As a matter of fact, that system is a fraud. A large number of cases can be cited to prove that culprits awarded heavy sentences by the military courts were freed by the high command after a few weeks of imprisonment. Commodore Shahid’s case is one example. He was sentenced to 7 years of hard labor, but was freed after he spent six weeks of imprisonment at his home!

1. Land Grabbing: The colonial tradition of land grabbing by military officers continued unabated during the past three years.

a) 111 armed forces men have allotted to themselves at least 400 or more kanals each of prime land in Bahawalpur and Rahimyar Khan districts, heart of Punjab, "to defend it from the enemy," at the throw away rate of Rs 47.5 per kanal, while the real price in those areas ranges 15,000 to 20,000 rupees per kanal. Thus 35,000 kanals of land were distributed among 111 military men in one case alone. Theypaid 1,662,500 rupees at the nominal rate of 47.5 rupees per kanal, while the real price comes to 700 million rupees. The list includes the names of:

· General Pervez Musharraf, Current President, 400 kanals in Nouabad village, Yazman, Bahawalpur.

· General Moinuddin Haider, Current Interior Minister, 400 kanals in Chak DB/43.

· General Aziz, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, 400 kanals in Chak DB/44.

· Lt. General Khalid Maqbool (Current Governor Punjab), 400 kanals in Chak 54/p.

· Major General Muzaffar Usmani (Later promoted to Lt General and retired recently as Deputy Chief of Army Staff Musharraf), 400 kanals in Chak 93/p.

· Lt. General Muhammed Afzal Janjua, 400 kanals in Chak 54/p

(i) 64 serving and retired officers of colonel to general rank got 400 kanals or more. They include:

10 Generals, 9 Lt. Generals, 16 Maj. Generals, one Admiral, one Air Marshal, 18 Brigadiers, 5 Lt. Colonels and 3 Colonels.

They paid 19,000 rupees for 400 kanals of land worth 400,000 rupees at market ratesif the land is unirrigated. The value of irrigated land in these areas is much higher.

(ii) 47 non-commissioned officers also got plots of agricultural land measuring 200 kanals or less.

Many of the generals have already sold their lots earning millions of rupees in profit at market rates, while others have turned into feudal lords with hired labor toiling for them.

b) Former Chairman of national Accountability Bureau Lt. Gen. Muhammed Amjad was allotted a 2-kanal (1000 sq. yd.) plot in Lahore, with a market value of 10 million rupees, against mere 800,000 rupees payable in 20 years. Invested in Defense Saving Certificates, those 800,000 rupees would multiply to 225 million rupees. He immediately sold half of the plot for 4.5 million rupees earning a profit of 8.2 million rupees on one plot.

c) General Musharraf has acquired a commercial plot, with the market value of 20 million rupees, in Defense Society, Lahore, for mere 100,000 rupees that he will pay in installments spread over 20 years. The General has neither showed this piece of land in his assets, nor sold it. If 20 million rupees are invested in the Defense Saving Certificates, they would grow up to about 500 million rupees. He owns several plots in other localities with a total market value of 200 million rupees. He has gifted a house with a market value of 20 million rupees to his daughter, which he has not shown in his assets. The 400 kanal agricultural plot that he got in Bahawalpur is also not mentioned in his assets.

d) The ISI has forced Environment Minister Shahida Jameel to allot 100 acres of land in the Margalla Hills National Park, one of the big attractions of the capital city. The agency wants to construct a new and “safe” Headquarter as well as, quite intriguingly, a housing colony for its officers. An official summary generated by Barrister Jameel’s ministry has been sent to President Pervez Musharraf, for an urgent decision. Initially the Environment Ministry response was one of alarm, as giving away 100 acres on these hills would almost destroy the whole area as a natural park, which needed to be preserved. When the ISI bosses learned about it, they immediately contacted the Minister and “convinced” her about the immediate need of 100 acres. The lady, naturally, could not resist the pressure. Again, the Generals would grab the best pieces for their homes.

e) Another 100 acres is being selected in Bahawalpur for the outgoing Naval Chief. Defense officials’ teams have been seen visiting Bahawalpur to select these 100 acres, while an offer had also been made to the outgoing Chief to become Pakistan’s Ambassador to Tunisia. The Chief wants to be Ambassador to France and his argument is that his force has a lot to buy from France, like the Augusta submarines his predecessor Admiral Mansurul Haq bought.

f) In a report, after a random check of 4 out of 11 military estate offices in 2000 –2001, Director General of Audit of the Defense Services has found close to five billion rupees loss caused by misuse of land, mismanagement and encroachments. According to an analyst, “the report is an outright indictment of the military, as it not only shows the monumental size of the lands acquired, but also the losses being caused are gigantic, compared to peanuts for which politicians are persecuted day in and day out.”

g) The Defense Housing Authority has been grabbing large chunks of valuable residential land at nominal prices around the country for the exclusive benefit of officers of the armed forces. For instance, in January 2001, the Sindh Governor bypassed the Sindh High Court stay orders, and permitted sale of highly valuable 200 acres of coastal land along Clifton, Karachi, at embarrassingly low rates to Defense Housing Authority. The land valued at market rate of Rs. 4,000/- per square yard was sold to Defense Housing Authority at Rs 20/- per square yard. Thus, the governor caused a staggering loss worth billions of rupees to the exchequer! An acre contains 4840 square yards. The real cost of 200 acres, multiplied by 4,000 per sq. yd. comes to 3.872 billion rupees.

2. Defense Purchases: The submarine purchase scam involving Mansurul Haq is only a tip of the iceberg. Many more such deals with heavy kickbacks are hidden in the military closets. A large of deals for purchase of tanks, submarines, mine hunters, Mirage aircraft and army jeeps were signed through the Army Welfare Trust, Sheen Foundation and Bahria Foundation. It is estimated that various military officers pocketed commissions totaling 5.7 billion rupees in these deals.

a) A former NAB Chairman is reported to have written to the three service chiefs to provide records of certain arms deals, but NAB still awaits an answer.

b) The records could provide proof to the allegation that a former air chief Abbas Khatak received three million dollars (180 million rupees) in the purchase of 40 old Mirage aircraft for 120 million dollars. He is also accused of receiving kickbacks in deals for French missiles and Italian radars.

c) Another former air chief Farooq Feroze Khan is suspected of receiving 5 percent commission on purchase of 40 F-7 aircraft for 271 million dollars.

d) In 1996, Army bought 1047 GS-90 jeeps at 20,889 dollars per jeep, while the market price of the jeep was 13,000 dollars. NAB sources have been reported saying that some senior army officers pocketed 8.5 million dollars (510 million rupees).

e) The British Inland Revenue Services wrote a confidential letter to the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) in Islamabad to confirm a payment of five million pound sterling (450million rupees) in commission to an Islamabad-based Pakistani citizen who had acted as an intermediary between the British agent of an American company and the Pakistan Army for an 80 million pound sterling deal.

When summoned to the CBR in Islamabad for confirmation about the payment he had received from London, the Pakistani agent stunned the then chairman CBR Moinuddin Khan by acknowledging, unhesitatingly, that he had received the amount mentioned in the letter.

This shadowy businessman soon dropped a bombshell by disclosing that he got only 200,000 (2 lakh) pounds from the total payment of five million pounds (50 lakh pound) while the remaining amount was distributed among four senior officers of the Army. He also provided an actual breakdown of the payments and impressed upon the then CBR chairman that the then Chief of Army Staff had personally authorized the contract, meaning the COAS was also involved in corruption.

Within next few days a retired major general, who was the former Director General Weapons and Equipment (DGW & E) at the GHQ and had structured the deal with the American company through its British agent, approached the top CBR official and briefed him as how the disclosure and any probe into this deal would jeopardize the national security interest of the country.

After a flurry of activities between the CBR and some retired military officials, the CBR shelved the matter. This controversial deal is understood to be in the knowledge of the present military set-up, but there is nothing on the ground to suggest that it is being probed afresh.

f) Around June/July this year, Pakistan Army awarded a contract for purchase of 1000 Hino trucks at $40,000 per truck, while the Gandhara Industries had offered Isuzu truck of same specifications at $25,000. As per standard procedures for bulk military purchases in Pakistan, no international tenders were invited but tender documents were sent to four pre-selected companies for procurement of 1,000 5-ton 4x4 trucks (ammunition carrier vehicle) by the director general military purchase on April 10. Gandhara Industries sources dispute the Army's claim that their vehicle was not approved as 5-ton ammunition carrier. The Isuzu trucks were delivered to the Army for extended trial in February and after two months of trials the vehicle was finally short-listed and approved as 5-ton ammo carrier at the GSEEC meeting held on April 13. However, the top brass made final decision in favor of the Hino trucks. The loss to the national exchequer in this deal, at the rate of $15,000 per truck amounted to $15,000,000 (900 million rupees).

g) Pakistan Army's purchase of more than 3,000 Land Rover trucks in 1995 had also generated controversy with the allegation that the owner of Sygma motors, which had supplied the vehicles, was closely associated with the then chief of general staff of the Pakistan Army. Corruption amounting to 2 billion rupees is alleged in that deal.

h) The Field General Court Martial (FGCM) sentenced former Naval Intelligence Chief Commodore Shahid to 7 years of hard labor, but former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Fasih Bukhari wrote off his sentence after three months, which he had spent in the comfort of his home. It is believed he was freed after he threatened to disclose many more shady deals including a 250 million dollars purchase of mine sweepers.

i) In April 2001, the Public Accounts Committee ordered court trial of 22 corrupt officers of Garrison Engineers (Army) Rawalpindi for causing over a loss of over one billion rupees to the national exchequer with dubious purchases and embezzlement. Defense Ministry officials present at the PAC hearing opposed publication of the culprits’ names, whereupon senior PAC member Lt. General Talat Masood (retd.) admonished them and said that hidden faces involved in corruption must be exposed.

3. WAPDA: The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), controlled by army officers, has raised power rates 13 times during the past three years totaling 40 percent rise over the 1999 levels. The authorities always take shelter behind the pretext of budget deficit. But analysts have pointed out that the deficit is mainly due to mismanagement and rampant corruption. One instance of blatant corruption is as follows:

WAPDA purchased over three million electricity meters during past three years at exorbitant prices of Rs 1,050 and Rs 1,125 per meter. All these purchases were made by bypassing the due process of open tenders and made through closed-door negotiations. The real cost of a meter comes to around Rs 456 per piece. Thus, 1.65 billion rupees were pilfered in this deal.

4. Motorway: The Motorway Project was a product of creative imagination of Prime Minister Muhammed Nawaz Sharif. He completed the Lahore-Islamabad motorway, and the contract for Islamabad-Peshawar motorway was given to a Turkish firm. It was to be completed by December 2000. The military regime, after cutting the size of six-lane road to four lanes, forced that contractor to withdraw by delaying payments and creating administrative hurdles. Later, the contract was awarded to a new Pakistani consortium lead by Husnain Construction, without floating any tender. The firm hired the services of Brig. Aftab Siddiqui (retd.), father-in-law of Musharraf’s son Bilal, as consultant. Husnain Construction owner Yousaf Sheikh told a news conference in Islamabad that Brig Siddiqui was to be given a share of 2 percent in the profit, and that his company’s business under the current military rule included purchase of about a dozen of “sick industrial units”.

5. Karakoram Express: Pakistan Railways, headed by former ISI chief, made a deal of purchasing 175 passenger coaches from a Chinese firm for 200 million dollars despite the fact that the Pakistani factories were fully competent to manufacture the coaches, which have even found many foreign buyers. When 35 of these coaches arrived in August, they were found to be much wider than the railway platforms in the country could accommodate. Millions of rupees had to be spent on trimming the platforms. Many more millions were earlier spent from the national exchequer on numerous visits of the Railways chief and his experts to China. It appears that their concerns in those visits were other than discussing technical details of the deal. It was a test case for probe into suspicions of corruption, as well as lack of foresight and competence. But neither an inquiry for fixing responsibility was announced nor any heads were seen rolling.

6. UBL Sale: The Privatization Commission of the Musharraf regime sold 51 percent shares of the United Bank Ltd. for 12.35 billion rupees to a consortium with foreign participation through an out of the process re-bidding that in no way can be termed as transparent.

UBL is Pakistan’s fourth largest bank with 1,400 branches in the country and 16 international branches, manned by 11,000 strong work force. Senior officers of the Finance Ministry had been expecting to get a price of 20 billion rupees, while the successful bidder was also reported to be willing to pay 17 billion rupees. However, the Privatization Commission let it go for mere 12.35 billion, and the regime immediately issued a Letter of Acceptance. The so-called financial wizards of General Musharraf conveniently passed over the chance of getting 7.65 billion rupees more for the national exchequer, but they cannot do away with widespread allegation that this amount was pocketed by officials.

7. Pak-Saudi Fertilizers Ltd.: The regime also sold Pak-Saudi Fertilizers Ltd. for just 7 billion rupees with huge profits, stocks and work in progress. The government failed to watch the interests of the nation in that deal also. It is alleged that corruption of about 2 billion rupees was committed in this deal.

8. Police Cars: The military regime officials have made it a regular practice of making huge purchases without calling tenders. For instance, in May 2002, the interior ministry purchased 349 luxury cars of up to 1300cc for investigation wing of the police. No tenders were called, and 259 million rupees were spent at the sweet will of the concerned officials. The officials have been committing this sort of corruption, because they are sure to get all of their illegal actions indemnified with the force of the gun.

9. Golf Club: Pakistan Navy spent 13.112 million rupees on installation of air-conditioners and sprinkler irrigation system in the Islamabad Golf Club, which is in the hands of a private organization. Public Accounts Committee was informed that the money was spent under a directive of former president Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari now chief of the Millat Party, who happens to be one of the staunchest supporters of General Musharraf. In fact, the regime has condoned all misdeeds of Mr. Leghari, including the Mehran Bank scandal and renovation of his ancestral home with government money.

10. Special Education Fraud: Like the other departments of the military regime, the education department has also been indulging in corruption. It was reported in August 2002 that officers of the Special Education Directorate have pilfered 95 million rupees earmarked for education of handicapped children.

Conclusion

We present these facts to the people of Pakistan to illustrate the grim reality that deep-rooted corruption of the generals has soiled the reputation of national armed forces. It is, therefore, our considered opinion that mere internal system of checks in any institution fails to conduct impartial, transparent and effective accountability due to personal relationships and mutual interests.

The process of accountability should be impartial, uniform and across the board. The Musharraf regime has targeted the institution of politics as the bedrock of corruption. In reality, the corrupt have turned the institution of the armed forces into the most corrupt element of the society. It is essential that this institution, which used to be the pride of the nation, be saved from further disgrace, and its respect, credibility and prestige be restored with effective measures.

A high-powered representative commission with judicial authority should be set up to purge the armed forces of black sheep and recover the monies plundered by billionaire retired-generals and other officers. The commission should include Supreme Court judges of unblemished reputation, President and General Secretary of Pakistan Bar Council, Leader of the Opposition and the leaders of other parliamentary parties. This demand of ours is justified in view of fact the generals who captured power time and again from 1958 to 1999, mostly confined accountability to the politicians, while the generals alone were responsible for grave crimes of breaking the country and unmatchable corruption. Until big criminals are apprehended, the cause of justice would not be served and all claims of rooting out corruption would prove to be mere mirage.

.

A relevant comment:

By i_shah: (source: pkpolitics)

let us try to answer the questions raised in the article:

· Why the flag-bearers of NRO scenario are blind towards this aspect of institutionalized corruption in Pakistan.

-Most of these flagbearers of the NRO cause are opportunists, who cannot resist the urge of mid-term elections and the chances of themselves getting popular with all the hypethey are creating over the issue. Sadly the public is equally responsible for this attitude as is shown by the growing popularity of coas kiyani in gallup surveys, desspite the fact that he and his corps cmdrs are the main shield hindering the proseqution of military corrups

· Why only politicians and bureaucrats should be punished under NAB ordinance and not the army officials.

-the army considers itself above the law, getting away scot free from even gruesome incidents like the humiliation of a teacher by petty army guards. i believe no action was taken against them. in a civilized society a teacher occupies the prime position of respect- not so in ours. there was some hue and cry but ultimately it died out and now we as a nation hardly remember the incident – again a case of apathy on our parts.

· Why the Parliament never thought of causing an amendment in the Army Act if the Generals cannot be investigated by NAB and cannot be tried in ordinary courts.

– the parliment seems afraid that kiyani and co will send them packing if they dare tread that path. the “bedaar” media keeping mum over the issue and eulogising kiyani every now and then is certainly of no helf either. the parliment is helpless even as army personell-even lowly ranks- are not ready to pay a meagre Rs. 5 toll tax over roads and bridges. when they can not extract this small amount how can we expect them to recover millions out of the corrupt generals.

· Have any President of Pakistan, being Supreme Commander of forces, ever bothered to gather the statistics of inquiries or court martials conducted in connection with corrupt army officers and their organizations.

-the supreme commander has never been acknowledged as such by the army. how can we expect him to act and court martial corrupt army officers. kiyani and co will act over night and depose him in “supreme national interest” with his huge unpopularity and corruption being cited as primary reason-by the corruption of the current president is nowhere near that of his military counterparts ayub/zia and old mush and even other generals/A.Ms/admirals.

· Have the Supreme Court of Pakistan ever thought of initiating a suo moto action over any financial scam involving army generals.

-the supreme court can only act within the ambits of the constitution, which sadly doesnot allow for them to be prosecuted in ordinary courts. even if the CJ takes action, there will be a lot of hue and cry raised in the name of the army getting demoralised in the middle of war on terror. interestingly, it was zia who laid the eggs of terrorism, which hatched into the present brood of terrorists in the form of taliban, laskar e jhangvi etc.

· Have any Bar Association ever thought of moving a petition before the Supreme Court to bring corrupt army generals in the ambit of ‘equal citizenship’ given in the Constitution of Pakistan.

-i guess the public’s sypathies for the army -as indicated by kiyani’s popularity graph from gallup surveys- hinders the prospect of such a scenario taking place

· Have any prominent anchor of media like Kashif Abbassi, Hamid Mir, Dr Shahid, Mazhar Abbas and Talat Hussain ever tried to float an opinion inviting discussions and comments of intelligentsia over the issue that if politicians and bureaucrats are being dragged in the streets of public consent then the generals should also be treated at par.

-thats one question that should be put to these popular anchors- and ourselves who make these anchors popular

Read more...

In defense of Nawaz Sharif: Are our politicians corrupt? Is Pakistan Army a sacred cow?

Rauf Klasra reveals some interesting details of the alleged 60 million dollar corruption by Nawaz Sharif.

http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/nov2009-daily/26-11-2009/col12.htm

Read more...

Who needs an NRO ?

Posted by: Jarri Mirza
Blog post written by: Humza Ikram

Former Attorney general of Punjab"Khawaja Sharif" is trying to help his old master's boy, who was then Chief Minister Punjab "Nawaz Sharif".

Nawaz Sharif has really surprised his critics by playing his cards really smartly. First, he got a de-jure NRO from the establishment in a shape of Presidential Pardon and then negoiated an excellent business deal which resulted his safe exit to Saudi Arabia, where he owns one of the biggest Steel Mill of Asia and has expanded his other bussiness ventures. And now he got a de-facto NRO from the present judical setup, which is in fact an slap on recent Judicial Policy which aims to give verdicts within a time period six months.

published on 8th October, 2009 source: dailywaqt.com
Read more...

A PSF perspective on Pakistani politics

POSTED BY: JARRI MIRZA
GUEST BLOG :AHSAN ABBAS SHAH (A PSF LAHORE ACTIVIST)

Who are the Talib-e-Ilm and who are the Taliban of Pakistani politics?

Read more...

Fazail-e-martial law wa khabais-e-jamhooriat

Here is a column by the unofficial spokesperson of the Ziaist (military) establishment in Pakistan, Haroon-ur-Rasheed in defence of the military establishment and against democracy. Mr Haroon-ur-Rasheed has in the past written an official history of Islam, titled 'Fateh', a biography of General Akhtar Abdur Rehman.

Read more...

Transparency, Corruption and Nawaz Sharif

Special interview of Nawaz Sharif with Hamid Mir and Sohail Warraich
Geo TV: 17 November 2009

A column in defence of Nawaz Sharif - by Ataul Haq Qasimi

What do oridnary Pakistanis thinks?
Source: friendskorners; pkpolitics

http://www.siasat.pk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=12687

taffembank said:
nawaz sharif avoiding hamid mir questions,hamid mir tried to ask him 4 times about his factories but he was not answring n talking to suhail warriach,

listen at 6.00 hamid mir was trying to ask him about the mills but nawaz sharif ignored him.

fanstasticman said:
Nawaz reply to Hamid Mir question of setting up a mill in Saudi arabia : "kya bhookay marjatay, bheek mangtay saudia jakar, kuch tu karna tha na"

hahahahaha.

shkanjabeen said:
he didnt answer so many questions.for example,he didnt explain the details of his assets shown to the election commission.

if you put him to a LIE DETECTOR,90% of his discussions are just LIES.
you can see his body language.he gets so uncomfortable while answering.
his political drama is also coming to an end Inshallah.

Graang2 said:

Saala kitna ghareeb ban raha hai...awam ka paisa loot kar saala bhikari banne ki koshish kar raha hai.

thetruepal said:
He is doing better than many politicians and have positively influenced PPP Govt. in many matters including Judges restoration, NRO and reverting Musharaf's constitution amendments. Overall, his approach is positive and constructive but he need to come up with a solid vision and action plan rather than status quo among PPP and Punjab Govt. He needs to show leadership and vision and be more intellectual; he should try eating lots of Almonds everyday in the morning and have head message with warm oil :-). Well, I still respect him because I believe he is sincere with nation and trustworthy politician.


haaji007 said:

buhat halaat kharab hai iss becharay kay.....

"Benazir Income Support Program" say issay bhi kuch milna chahiya

aftab said:
After listening to his conversation in the beginning of the show it came as cross that he did do corruption to make up for the loss of his assets and was hiding something when HM tried to cross question him and NS avoided answering those questions.


Waqar ur Rehman said:
I am supporter of PML N but unfortuanetly NS couldnt satisfay me on the first question asked by Hamid Mir……………he was clean bowled……….

Instance over war on terror and relations with India was also shaky………..no clear cut apporach………

rest interveiw was just ok…………..look like an interview from ordinary man………….

sorry Nawaz sb u disappoint me today……..

Dilsher Nawaz said:
I am not a great supporter of his, and he clearly was evasive. But for a businessman to shelter his taxes under a corporate entities and family foundation is not without reason. He does not pay a lot of personal income tax but probably pays a significant amount of corporate tax.
In any case when it comes to overt corruption any comparison between Zardari and Nawaz is a no contest, Zardari by a gazzilion miles

Masood Ahmad said:
I don’t know why we wish to have angels as our leaders, and we ourselves don’t even stop our cards on red lights.

In such a crisis of morals, i think even people like Nawaz Sharif are good for the country. Well if nothing else, atleast they have courage to stand up to some matters.

I don’t even want to discuss the replacements available …. you know it very well.

So for God’s sake, let somebody be there for the time being, until we grow higher as a nation.

rafay79 said:
…and to think this nincampoop is going to be at the helm of affairs when the government changes now. Zardari may be many things but an absolute idiot he aint!

NS is so lucky he had Zia to take him through the development phase and as with all guys who are willing throw their money around and share ‘awaam ka paisa’ with the ‘awaam kay khaadim’, managed to get a team around him which served him well. Even now, he has got very good people like Ahsan Iqbal, Kh. Asif, Saad Rafique etc. who make him and his party look good. On his own, he is an absolute waste of space!

جناب! شکر کریں پاکستان میں امریکا کی طرح صدارتی سیسٹم نہی ہے انتخابات میں. کبھی خدا نہ کرے آپ کا کسی سیاست دان کے ساتھ مباحثہ ہو جاتا تو جس طرح کے سہانے جواب آپ نے اس انٹرویو میں دے ہیں اس کے بعد تو آپ کے ووٹر منہ چھپاتے پھر رہے ہوتے. باقی رہ گیئ جناب کی بات، تو پہلے کب شرم آی ہے جو اب آ جائے گے.

بات کرتے ہیں ہم اس کے سٹانس کی؟
آرٹیکل ٦ کرتا کرتا نہی تھکتا تھا. ایک چکّر سعودی عرب کا لگا اور ساری ہوا نکل گیے غبارے میں سے.
ایسے ہوتے ہیں لیڈر؟
ایسی پتا نہی کتنی باتیں ہیں جو لکھنے بیٹھو تو صبح سے شام ہو جائے.
خواتین و حضرات! یے ہیں آپ کے ملک کے اگلے پی ایم. اور اگر ہمیں پھر بھی عقل نا آی تو اگلی باری بلاول بھتو زرداری (المعروف پارک لین اسٹیٹ والے) اور اس کے بعد حمزہ شہباز یا حسین نواز اور اس کے بعد پھرمحترم بلاول بھتو زرادری صاحب اور پھر کوئی میاں اور پھر کوئی بھتو. بیچ میں ایک آدھا جرنیل بھی ڈال لیں منہ کا ذائقہ بدلنے کے لیے.

rafay79 said:
@Dilsher Nawaz
Dude! Corp tax and personal tax are two totally different things. A company is an entity on its own. It pays corporation tax on its earnings. The directors pay personal tax on their income, perks and drawings from the company. To say a person doenst pay personal tax cos he pays lots of corp tax is therefore incorrect.

And remember, this guy is someone who spends 3.5 million rupees a day. Or thats what his spokesman Siddiq-ul-Farooq would like us to think anyway.

Shujaat Ali said:
1) very fuzzy answer about self tax, question was very straight but he was just trying to fool nation and gave very lenghty answer without any logic
2) currently the most important issue is war on terror and again on this, he did not give straight answer infact no answer…may be he dosn’t want….becuase he is not sure current govt policy will work or not…and he knows this will be the hot issue in next election..so her again showing his real character
3) doesn’t want to destablize current system, he was trying to project that he has principal stand but in fact he is saving his own govt…and if mid term election will happen then he knows in current situation he popularity is down….

block said:
I am convinced that Nawaz Sharief is a very poor man and need our financial help.

Parvez said:
NS and his family has made money from business and he is not easy to buy with a few million dollars. He is pragmatic, seen the ups and downs of politics. If he gets to be a leader, you will see growth in economy and social stability. He needs to spend more time organizing his part at grass roots.

Bawa said:
نہایت ہی فضول انٹرویو، حامد میر اور سہیل وڑائچ نے اسی قسم کا انٹرویو کیا جیسا نجم سیٹھی نے پرویز مشرف اور الطاف حسین کا کیا تھا. سر آپکی بیگم کیسی ہیں، بچوں کا سیاست میں آنے کا ارادہ ھے کیا، حمزہ شہباز تو سیاست میں آپکے شاگرد ہیں وغیرہ وغیرہ. ان نام نہاد انکر پرسنز کو یہ نہیں پتہ یہ اس لیول کے لیڈر سے ان حالات میں کس طرح کے سوالات کرنے ضروری تھے. صاف دکھائی دے رہا تھا کہ نواز شریف کو سوالات پہلے سے تیاری کے لیے دیے گئے تھے

نواز شریف نے اس انٹرویو سے ان لوگوں کی امیدوں پر پانی پھیر دیا ھے جو سمجھتے تھے کہ نواز شریف نے ماضی سے بہت کچھ سیکھا ھے. وہ ابھی تک عوام کو بیوقوف بنانے کی ناکام کوشش کر رہے ہیں. سو دفعہ یہ اقرار کرنے کے باوجود کہ میں نے دس سال نہیں بلکہ پانچ سال کا معاہدہ کیا تھا. اب کہ رھے ہیں کہ ہم اپنی مرضی سے نہیں گئے تھے بلکہ ہمیں زبردستی بھیجا گیا تھا. سعودی عرب کے بارے میں کہ سعودی عرب کو پاکستان کی سیاست میں نہ گھسیٹیں تو بہتر ہوگا اور ہمیں سعودی عرب کا احترام کرنا چاہئیے اور انہیں پاکستان کے اندرونی معاملات میں ملوث نہیں کرنا چاہئیے، جو ملک ہماری اعَلیٰ ترین عدالت کے منہ پر تھپڑ مار کر ہمارے شہری کو ہمارے ہی ملک سے اغوا کر لے جائے کیا وہ ملک ہمارے لیے قابل احترام ہو سکتا ھے؟ جنرل کیانی کی شہباز شریف اور چوہدری نثار سے رات کے اندھیرے میں خفیہ ملاقاتوں کے سوال کا جواب بھی بچگانہ تھا. جنرل کیانی مسلح افاج کے سپریم کمانڈر اور وزیر دفاع کی اجازت کے بغیر سیاستدانوں سے رات کی تاریکی میں کیونکر ملاقات کر سکتے ہیں؟ کیا انکا یہ قدم فوج کو دوبارہ سیاست میں ملوث کرنے کے مترادف نہیں ھے؟ .

غرض انٹرویو انتہائی مایوس کن تھا. نہ تو ملکی صورتحال پر گفتگو کی گئی اور ان ہی موجودہ مسائل کو حل کرنے کے لیے نواز شریف نے اپنا کوئی پلان بتایا. ہاں البتہ یہ بتانا بہت ضروری سمجھا کہ شہباز شریف ہمارے خاندان کا نوجوان سیاستداں ھے میری بیگم نے ملکی مفاد کے لیے بہت کام کیا ھے اور میں اسکا شکریہ ادا کرتا رہتا ہوں. وہ جن لوگوں نے اسکی عدم موجودگی میں پارٹی کو زندہ رکھا انکا کوئی ذکر نہیں کیا. پارٹی کے اندر جمہوریت کے بارے میں سوال کا جواب تک نہ دیا. اپنے کاروبار کا نقصان گنواتے ہوئے ضیاء الحق کے دور میں اٹھائے جانے والے فوائد چھپانے کی مجرمانہ کوشش کی

Faarigh Jazbati said:
@ Bawa and all

السلام و علیکم
جیسے کے ہارون رشید نے کئی دفعہ کہا اور لکھا ہے کہ یہ سیاستدان ابھی تک ٨٠ اور ٩٠ کے دہائی میں رہ رہے ہیں اور ان کو پتا ہی نہیں کہ دنیا بدل چکی ہے زمانہ بدل چکا ہے . یہ لوگ خیالوں اور خوابوں کی دنیا میں رہتے ہیں. یہ نرگسیت کے مارے لوگ ہیں اور ان کا سواۓ اس کے اور کوئی علاج نہیں کہ ان کو اٹھا کر تاریخ کے کوڑے دن میں پھینک دیا جاۓ . ہمیں ایک نئی قیادت کی ضرورت ہے جو ہم میں سے ہی ہو . جو ہمارے مسائل اور مشکلات کو سمجھتی ہو ، ان کا ادراک کرتی ہو ، جو عصر حاضر سے آگاہ ہو ، جو عالمی سیاست کی باریکیوں اور نزاکتوں سے واقف ہو اور ان کی چالوں کا جواب دینے کی اہلیت رکھتی ہو ، جو عوام کو حکومتی معاملات میں شریک کرے اور انکو اپنے جیسا ہی سمجھے . جن کے بچے اور کاروبار پاکستان میں ہی ہوں. جو اداروں کا احترام کرنا جانتی ہو ، جو اپنے آپ کو قانون کے سامنے پیش کرنی سے نہ ہچکچاتی ہو اور قانون سب کے لئے یکساں پر ایمان رکھتی ہو . جو کاروباری ذہنیت نہ رکھتی ہو اور جن کے کوئی کاروباری مفادات نہ ہوں . موجودہ سیاسی قیادت چاہے وہ مسلم لیگ ن ق ع ف ہو یا پیپلز پارٹی، چاہے وہ مذہبی سیاسی جما عتیں ہوں یا
so called لسانی /علاقائی سیکولر جما عتیں ، سب کی سب اپنے اپنے مفادات کی اسیر ہیں .
ہمیں ایک نئی سیاسی جماعت اور ایک نئی سیاسی سوچ کی ضرورت ہے ، ایک نئے سیاسی نظریے کی ضرورت ہے ، ایک نئی
سیاسی ثقافت کی ضرورت ہے . ایسا سیاسی نظریہ اور ثقافت جس میں افراد کی بجاۓ اصولوں کی بات ہو ، جس میں افراد کی بجاۓ اداروں کی بات ہو، جس میں سیاسی خانوادے نہ ہوں ، جس میں سیاسی میراث کا کوئی تصوّر نہ ہو ، جس میں سیاسی جانشینی کا کوئی تصوّر نہ ہو ، جس میں سیاسی مزار نہ ہوں جس میں سیاسی بندر بانٹ نہ ہو ، جس میں جرنیلوں کی جوتیاں چاٹنے والے نہ ہوں . جس میں جرنیلوں کو سرکاری ملازم سے زیادہ اہمیت نہ ہو ، جس میں پلاٹوں کی سیاست کی کوئی گنجائش نہ ہو ،

کیا کروں آج دل بہت ہی دکھا ہوا ہے اور بھڑاس نکالنے پر تلا ہوا ہے. یہ جو اپنے آپ کو رہنما اور نہ جانے کیا کیا لکھتے اور سمجھتے ہیں اور سمجھتے ہیں کے ہمارے عقل و شعور کی توہین کریں میں ان سے بیزاری اوربغاوت کا اعلان کرتا ہوں اور ان کو اپنا رہنما ماننے سے انکار کرتا ہوں

FJ

mujtaba-ali said:
باوا جی
اور دوستو…
میرے خیال میں اس کو بات نہیں کرنی آیی آج تک … پی پی پی والے اسی بات پر اتنی آرام سے نکل جاتے ہیں .. یہ تو سادہ سا مسلہ تھا .. لیکن بھایی صاحب نے سیدھا جواب دیا ہی نہیں …. مثلا اگر میں آپ ہوتے تو یہ کہ سکتے تھے … کہ ….. بھایی ایکشن کمیشن کی جو ضرورت تھی اس کے حساب سے جو بنتا تھا بتا دیا … وہ ٹیکس پوچھتے ہیں میں نے بتا دیا … ذاتی دولت کا پوچھتے ہیں بتا دی … اب جو دولت خاندان ک نام ہے یعنی بزنسس کے نام ہے … اس کا نہ وہ پوچھتے ہیں نہ بتانے کے ضرورت ہے ….
اور بھایی جان نے ایک اور بات کی جو ذرا اچھی تھی … کہ ٥ پانچ ہزار بھی زیادہ ہیں ایک سیاست دن کا ان چیزوں سے کوئی لینا دینا نہیں ہونا چاہیے …

hafizmughal said:
A popular pakistan leader but when he will know to make a difference between public speeches and talking on tvs?

Even he is not clear about his directions. Sorry.

Read more...

PPP and PML-N are united against the Friends of Taliban and their designs against democracy

vs

Friends of Taliban in the Pakistani media and politics are very upset with this development. For example, read Nazir Naji's column on the frustration of the Taliban lovers and democracy haters in Pakistan. http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/11/triple-s-brigades-ill-wish-and-zardaris.html

President enjoys immunity under Constitution: Nawaz
Updated at: 1815 PST, Monday, November 16, 2009 (The News)

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N Chief Nawaz Sharif Monday said the President enjoys immunity under the Constitution and the courts will reach a verdict in the backdrop of this fact.

He said this in an exclusive interview given to Geo News’ anchors Hamid Mir and Sohail Waraich.

Nawaz Sharif pointed out that the matter of National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) is subjudice.

“Terrorism flourishes uner martial law,” he asserted, adding, the door leading to martial law will have to be closed to eradicate terrorism there.

The PML-N Chief observed that it is consistent democratic regimes in India that have blocked the way to terrorism.

PML-N rejects minus-1 formula, says Nawaz

Thursday, November 05, 2009 (The News)
LAHORE: PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif has said that the party has never talked about the impeachment of the president nor has it demanded his resignation.

While speaking in a private TV channel programme, Nawaz said that the PML-N would not destabilise the system rather it wanted to strengthen it. He said not tabling the NRO in parliament was a good decision. Otherwise it would have brought a bad name to the assembly.

To a question, he said that the PML-N had already given its stance on the NRO. He added that the NRO had neither any future nor will it ever survive. He said that such issues need to be resolved wisely. Nawaz said that the PML-N has performed its national responsibility; however, the government must also resolve the issues of poverty and unemployment.

Similarly, he said that issues of minus and plus are highly regrettable. He said that the PML-N rejects the minus-one formula. He further said that it was up to the government to think about how to strengthen democracy.

To another question regarding the trial of Gen Musharraf, he said that his party’s stance was quite clear and the 17th Amendment must be abolished. He said that status quo is continuing despite Musharraf’s departure. He said if all these issues had been addressed from day one of the PPP government then such a situation would not have occurred.

No terror in India due to democracy, says Nawaz

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: Terrorism cannot prevail in India because of the strong democracy in that country, a private TV channel quoted former premier Nawaz Sharif as saying on Monday.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief said the democratic regimes in India had barred terrorism from the country. Nawaz said terrorism flourished in dictatorial regimes. To eradicate terrorism, he said, the door should be slammed shut on martial law forever.

He said the National Reconciliation Ordinance was still before the court and added that President Asif Zardari enjoyed immunity under the constitution and the courts would take note of that. Source
Read more...

United for democracy: PPP and PML-N

Munno Bhai suggests that the unity of PPP and PML-N in support of democracy and in defiance of Taliban terrorists will deter any ultra-constitutional adventurism in Pakistan.

Read more...

Game Theory, President Zardari and Pakistani Politics

President and game theory

Sunday, November 15, 2009 (The News)
Dr Farrukh Saleem

President Z is entangled in a non-cooperative game with a whole host of other players whereby each player's "success in making choices depends on the choices of other players." That in essence is "Game Theory"--an attempt to mathematically capture the behaviour of "intelligent individuals interacting with one another in an effort to achieve their own goals."

Pakistan's heptagonal (a polygon with seven sides) game matrix has President Z, the Pakistan Army, the PPP, the PML-N, America, the media and the judiciary as major players. Game theory assumes that each of the seven players shall always act to maximise their individual gains by trying to anticipate the response to their own actions by one or other players in the game.

Game theory also assumes that President Z is a rational player, and that means he is in the game in order to seize--and sustain--as much power as possible. Being rational also means that President Z undertakes a conscious cost-benefit analysis for every power he has seized or thinks of abdicating. And, that means President Z will not voluntarily give away any of his powers, including the 17th Amendment, unless the cost of retaining that power exceeds its benefits.

Game theory assumes that the Pakistan Army, that continues to be the dominant player, is in the game to preserve its political as well as economic domination. Being dominant also means that the Pak Army can influence the moves of other major or minor players (the media and the MQM, for instance) to achieve their own goals.

Then there's America, whose foreign policy is firmly rooted in realism, devoid of both ethics and morals. Within America, the two major players looking at Pakistan are the White House and the Pentagon. The Pentagon is convinced that the Pak Army is in control of the game in Pakistan; the White House not so clear. Clinton, it appears, was here to find out for herself as to who is in charge--President Z or the army. Moves made by the MQM subsequent to Clinton's visit provide circumstantial evidence that the White House now concurs with the Pentagon's stance.

America's readily identifiable interests for remaining in Pakistan's heptagonal hypercube are two fold-the "war on terror" and nuclear proliferation. Ironically, both the "war on terror" and the nuclear dimension are driven by the Pak Army. Consequently, America and the Pak Army share the same bedroom within the hypercube.

Nawaz Sharif seems to be basing his game plans on the "median voter theorem" ("if a politician wants to maximise his votes then he should commit to the policy position preferred by the median voter"). Such game plans have pitched Nawaz Sharif against the other major players, both the Pak Army and America.



Let the games begin. Clearly, game players right now are busy increasing the costs for President Z to continue holding on to the 17th Amendment. Yes, "No criminal proceedings whatsoever shall be instituted or continued against the President… (Article 248)." Yes, an impeachment resolution has to be passed at a joint sitting "by the votes of not less than two-thirds of the total membership (Article 47)." But, come Nov 28, all the king's knights and all the king's pawns may be forced back into the box, leaving no cloths for the king to wear.

Then there's the "imperfect information paradigm." I submit that President Z is playing the game based on imperfect information and that President Z's imperfect information database is rooted in the PPP's pool of un-elected decision-makers. Then there are games within games and a fool only wins the first game. And, that ushers in either Fazal Illahi or Sonia Gandhi while the average Pakistani survives by the skin of his teeth.

The writer is the executive director of the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). Email: farrukh15@hotmail.com
Read more...

Nawaz Sharif's morality and democracy in Pakistan

The PML-N adopted a highly moral disposition of not condoning corruption through the NRO and maintained that none of its leaders benefited from the NRO. However, the information available on November 12 showed that some PML-N members in Punjab benefitted from the NRO. On the same day the cases were discovered in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) record going back to the year 2000 that accused Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif of money laundering. Some PML-N leaders have described these charges as political victimisation by NAB. Hopefully, they would now view the NAB cases against the PPP leaders in the same manner.

Democracy and politicians —Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi

Both the government and the opposition are strong in verbal commitment to democracy but their political discourse and activities are not always helpful to democracy

The current domestic political situation does not promise a secure future for democracy in Pakistan. If anything, the people’s trust in the political institutions and leadership in power is fast eroding, increasing the space for manoeuvre for state-institutions and non-democratic forces.

Pakistan began the current democratic era with a lot of optimism for the future of democracy for understandable reasons. The relatively fair and free general elections in February 2008 brought forward two genuinely popular parties — the PPP and the PML-N. The regional political parties that acquired salience were willing to cooperate with the nationwide political parties.

Twenty months later, the optimism of the earlier days has waned and a large number of political observers are expressing doubts if the present political arrangements at the federal level can stay intact until the second anniversary. The Zardari-Gilani combine may find it extremely difficult to sustain itself without making drastic changes in personnel at the top and policy management.

These threats are not being posed by the Taliban and other extremist Islamic groups. It is ironic that the threat comes primarily from within the political class that is sharply polarised and different political parties and leaders cannot rise above their narrow partisan interests. Both the government and the opposition are strong in verbal commitment to democracy but their political discourse and activities are not always helpful to democracy. The PPP-led government wants to hold on to power on its terms for as long as possible and use state patronage to advance its partisan agenda. The opposition, especially the PML-N, cannot hide its desire to knock out President Asif Ali Zardari from the presidency and force mid-term elections on Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

The PML-N pursues its confrontation with the government in an election campaign style. The general pattern is to pick up a particular issue and launch a massive political offensive in a now-or-never style. The PML-N’s political discourse on the restoration of the Chief Justice after the PML-N Punjab government was replaced with governor’s rule was non-democratic and highly confrontational. Later, the issue of the trial of General Musharraf was taken up. This was replaced with the Kerry-Lugar bill and then the NRO. The opposition to the NRO was based on the hope that its abolition would revive corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari and reopen criminal proceedings against some MQM activists.

The PML-N adopted a highly moral disposition of not condoning corruption through the NRO and maintained that none of its leaders benefited from the NRO. However, the information available on November 12 showed that some PML-N members in Punjab benefitted from the NRO. On the same day the cases were discovered in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) record going back to the year 2000 that accused Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif of money laundering. Some PML-N leaders have described these charges as political victimisation by NAB. Hopefully, they would now view the NAB cases against the PPP leaders in the same manner.

The political leaders are unable to recognise that their never-ending effort to delegitimise each other undermines the political institutions and processes. The charges they often frame against each other are subsequently used by the military to exclude them from any role in politics.

Another development that adversely affects democracy is the tendency of the opposition to rely more on extra-parliamentary pressures and make only limited use of parliament. For example, the PML-N spearheaded the long march for the restoration of the chief justice but it did not move any resolution or adjournment motion in the National Assembly on this issue. Similarly, its members bitterly criticised the Kerry-Lugar bill (mostly outside parliament) but they never moved a resolution in the National Assembly condemning its provisions or rejecting it altogether.

The main constraint on the capacity of parliament to function as the supreme law-making body and the pivot of power is not necessarily the 17th amendment that enhanced the powers of the president. The constraints are political, which will continue to adversely affect the performance of parliament even if the powers of the president are reduced. The political leaders need to assign primacy to parliament in their political gaming. The National Assembly often faces a quorum problem; its meetings are brief and attendance poor. The National Assembly barely meets the constitutional requirement of minimum working days. The political parties rely more on extra-parliamentary measures, i.e. street protest, press conferences, political talk-shows on private sector television networks, etc, to advance their political agendas.

If the opposition role has not been helpful to democracy, the PPP and its allies have not shown much interest in strengthening the civilian institutions and processes. The political institutions and leaders have lost credibility with the people, mainly because of poor governance and the failure of the government to address their socio-economic problems.

The federal government’s poor management of the key policy issues like the restoration of the chief justice, the sugar crisis, the Kerry-Lugar bill, the NRO, gas load management and two weekly holidays shows that it suffers from poor policy making and management, failure to pre-empt a difficult situation, and a lack of consultation with the stakeholders for policy-making.

The presidency’s constant effort to dominate policymaking and management has exposed the presidency and made it vulnerable to criticism. President Zardari has become more controversial now than was the case when he contested the presidential elections in September 2008.

The presidency appears to rely on the advice of people who have a poor rapport and reputation inside and outside the PPP. The decisions on key issues are taken without paying much attention to the ground political realities. Consequently, the presidency had to backtrack on the restoration of the chief justice and other judges. It was completely out of touch with the domestic political realities when it agreed to the language of some provisions of the Kerry-Lugar bill in the pre-approval stage. The refusal of the coalition partners to support the NRO shows that the presidency did not consult them before sending it to the National Assembly. The unnecessary delay in amending the constitution in the context of the Charter of Democracy has done maximum damage to the credibility of the presidency.

The sugar crisis shows the inability of the presidency and the federal and provincial governments to force the mill owners to bring the sugar to market at a fixed price. The gas load management issue is another example of a self-created problem by not taking the relevant business quarters into confidence.

The opposition and the government need to mend their ways if they want democracy to become viable. Greater responsibility falls on the government, which needs to improve governance relating to the socio-economic problems of the people if it wants to retrieve its credibility at the popular level. The presidency needs to step back from its overstretched role and the prime minister needs to bridge the gap between official rhetoric and performance. The president and the prime minister need to replace some advisers/ministers with people who enjoy better credibility in the PPP and the opposition circles. The political status quo at the federal level has become non-viable.

Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi is a political and defence analyst. Source

Read more...

‘Sharifs used paper mill to whiten money’ - Ishaq Dar's confession

By Azaz Syed
Friday, 13 Nov, 2009
Dawn

Senator Ishaq Dar, while accusing Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif of money laundering, also implicated himself by confessing in the court that he had opened fake foreign currency accounts in different international banks.

ISLAMABAD: The Musharraf government prepared a money laundering reference against PML-N leaders Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif in 2000 on the basis of a statement recorded by one of their trusted lieutenants, Senator Ishaq Dar, according to a court document seen by Dawn here on Thursday.

Senator Dar’s handwritten statement, given before a magistrate back on April 25, 2000, had alleged that Sharif brothers used the Hudaibya Paper Mills as cover for money laundering during the late 1990s.

The reference was prepared on the orders of then president Pervez Musharraf, but it was shelved after the Sharif brothers went into exile in December of the same year.

The Musharraf government tried to reopen the reference in 2007 after Nawaz Sharif announced his return to the country.

The confessional statement of Senator Ishaq Dar was recorded before a district magistrate in Lahore. He was brought to the court from a jail by Basharat Shahzad, who was then serving as assistant director in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

According to legal experts, the senator’s deposition was an `irrevocable statement’ as had been recorded under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

Senator Ishaq Dar has always been regarded as one of the closest aides of the Sharif family, and is now also a relative as his son is married to Nawaz Sharif’s younger daughter.

However, the NAB record clearly shows that back in 2000 he had agreed to give a written statement against the Sharifs about their alleged involvement in money laundering.

The top PML-N leaders had hit a rough patch by then as some of their lieutenants were busy developing a new political system for Gen Pervez Musharraf after his Oct 1999 military coup.

In the statement, Ishaq Dar accused Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif of money laundering in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case.

At one point in the 43-page statement, Mr Dar said that on the instructions of Mian Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, ‘I opened two foreign currency accounts in the name of Sikandara Masood Qazi and Talat Masood Qazi with the foreign currency funds provided by the Sharif family in the Bank of America by signing as Sikandara Masood Qazi and Talat Masood Qazi’.

He said that all instructions to the bank in the name of these two persons were signed by him under the orders of ‘original depositors’, namely Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif.

‘The foreign currency accounts of Nuzhat Gohar and Kashif Masood Qazi were opened in Bank of America by Naeem Mehmood under my instructions (based on instructions of Sharifs) by signing the same as Nuzhat Gohar and Kashif Masood Qazi.’

The document shows Dar stated that besides these foreign currency accounts, a previously opened foreign currency account of Saeed Ahmed, a former director of First Hajvari Modaraba Co and close friend of Dar, and of Mussa Ghani, the nephew of Dar’s wife, were also used to deposit huge foreign currency funds provided by ‘the Sharif family’ to offer them as collateral to obtain different direct and indirect credit lines.

Senator Dar had disclosed that the Bank of America, Citibank, Atlas Investment Bank, Al Barka Bank and Al Towfeeq Investment Bank were used under the instructions of the Sharif family.

Interestingly enough, Ishaq Dar also implicated himself by confessing in court that he — along with his friends Kamal Qureshi and Naeem Mehmood — had opened fake foreign currency accounts in different international banks.

Mr Dar said an amount of $3.725 million in Emirates Bank, $ 8.539 million in Al Faysal Bank and $2.622 million were later transferred in the accounts of the accounts Hudaibya Paper Mills.

He said that the entire amount in these banks finally landed in the accounts of the paper mills.

The Hudaibiya Paper Mills case is still pending in the National Accountability Bureau.
If it is opened again, the Sharif brothers may be in for a rude shock: a confidant is to blame for the albatross around their necks.

In this regard Dawn made repeated efforts to contact Senator Dar on telephone, but without luck as his mobile number was switched off and he did not reply to text messages.

However, a PML-N spokesman Siddiq ul Farooq alleged that the signed statement was extracted from Mr Ishaq Dar under duress.


‘NAB report dents Nawaz Sharif’s stance on NRO’

LAHORE: Rashed Rahman, renowned analyst and Editor of the Daily Times, has said that the recent money laundering scandal of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif revealed in the documents of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has damaged the so-called moral stance of the Sharifs on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

Talking to a private television channel, he said that no body had the moral high grounds amongst the political class of the Pakistan, as they were all involved in scandals including the Sharifs. Rahman said that PML-N leader Ishaq Dar had confessed to the money laundering of the Sharifs viz-a-viz the Hudabia Paper Mills case, saying he could not deny the confessional statement of Sharif’s confidant and accountant-en-chief, Ishaq Dar.

Rahman said the same statement of Ishaq Dar was lying with NAB since 2000, and wondered as to why this report had been suppressed for so long. (Daily Times)
Read more...

French submarine deal and President Zardari

By Abdul Nishapuri

Thanks to the right-wing media's persistence in character assassination of Bhuttos and now President Zardari, it’s a scandal and a label that refuses to go away. Allegations of kickbacks on government deals have been 'rediscovered' and 'repropagated' to haunt the beleaguered president.

However, the real motives about this international campaign against the democratic government of Pakistan are not hard to understand. Given that instead of hammering the Taliban terrorists from both sides, NATO forces have been quietly vacating their posts on the Afghanistan side of the border while Pakistan Army is courageously dismantling the Taliban - Al Qaeda network in Waziristan, one can see an international malicious campaign not only against the democratic government but also against the Pakistan Army.

It has been alleged by a French newspaper that in 1994 Mr Zardari received up to $4.3 million in kickbacks. An amount of $49.5 million is what the Pakistan military allegedly received as part of the same deal. From this standard if Mr Zardari is Mr 10%, then Pakistan military is allegedly much more than Mr 100% given that its share was more than 10 times Mr Zardari's share.

There is also another element in this malicious campaign at least in the context of Pakistani media. Pakistan's predominantly right-wing media is currently busy in character assassination of President Zardari because of his commitment and courage to fight Taliban and Al Qaeda in Pakistan. Therefore, while pro-Taliban journalists and anchors conveniently ignore issues such as the fact that right-wing opposition leaders such as Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif are involved in money laundering (according to one of their close associates and a high-profile PML-N leader, Ishaq Dar), something which has been recorded in NAB Court documents in Pakistan, the media trial has been dedicated for President Zardari only. (read Sharif brothers accused of money laundering, Dawn, 12 November 2009).

Govt rejects Zardari kickback allegations
By Syed Irfan Raza
Thursday, 12 Nov, 2009 (Dawn)

ISLAMABAD: The government has contradicted a report published in a local and a French newspaper that accuses President Asif Ali Zardari and military authorities of having received millions of dollars in kickbacks from the 1994 sale of three French submarines to Pakistan Navy.

‘This is actually new regurgitation of an old story which was already contradicted by French President Mr Sarkozy on July 11 this year as ‘untrue’, ‘malicious’ and ‘mischievous’. It is part of a media trial of PPP leadership which we condemn and dismiss with the contempt it deserves,’ Presidential Spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.

According to the report in French daily Liberation, President Zardari is suspected of having received millions of dollars in kickbacks from the 1994 submarines deal.

In addition, investigators believe that the non-payment of the full amount of the agreed kickbacks may have led to the death of 11 French nationals in a 2002 terror attack in Karachi.

The newspaper says it has acquired documents that show that Mr Zardari allegedly received $4.3 million in kickbacks from the sale of three Agosta-90 submarines for 825 million euros (currently $1.237 billion).

The documents which were sent to the Pakistani National Accountability Bureau (NAB) by British authorities in April 2001 indicate that Mr Zardari received several large payments into his Swiss bank accounts from a Lebanese businessman, Abdulrahman Al-Assir, in 1994 and 1995.

Commenting on the report, the spokesman said the purchase of equipment by the armed forces of Pakistan was done through a proper competitive process under the supervision of the Ministry of Defence.

‘Mr Zardari was neither the president nor the prime minister nor the defence minister when the submarines referred to in the news item were purchased. The then ‘Admiral’ responsible for this purchase was investigated by the Accountability Bureau. But no allegation of misdoing could be established by the investigation authorities against Mr Zardari,’ the spokesman said.

Regarding the allegation about the killing of French nationals in Karachi, the spokesman said that President Zardari was in prison in 2002 when the unfortunate incident took place.

‘This indicates the motive behind levelling such baseless allegations. How can a person in prison arrange such high-profile killings,’ he added.

‘Allegations of kickbacks and involvement in the killing of French nationals against the person of the president are, therefore, highly unfortunate and seem to be part of a malicious campaign launched against the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,’ the spokesman said.

The Liberation report quoted a former executive of the French naval company DCN as saying that French authorities had chosen Al-Assir to act as intermediary in the deal and he allegedly deposited a total of $1.3 million in Mr Zardari’s bank accounts between Aug 15 and Aug 30, 1994, one month before the submarine contract was signed, and then $1.2 million and $1.8 million one year later.

According to DCN employees who testified in the terror attack investigation, the kickbacks to Pakistan in the deal totalled 10 per cent of the purchase amount, with 6 per cent, or $49.5 million, going to the military and 4 per cent, or 33 million euros, being funnelled to political circles.

In 2001, Pakistani Navy’s former chief of staff Mansour-ul-Haq was arrested for his part in the deal and forced to repay $7 million, the daily says.

Legal proceedings against Mr Zardari were dropped in April 2008, several months before he was elected president. He was imprisoned from 1997 to 2004 on corruption charges unrelated to this affair.

The president, according to the report, is one of his country’s richest men, with a net worth estimated at $1.8 billion.

The ongoing investigation in Paris into the May 8, 2002, terrorist attack that killed 11 DCN employees in Karachi may shed new light on the submarine purchase.

The victims were in Karachi to complete work on the three submarines. According to French media, the magistrate looking into the bombing has rejected the theory that it was the work of Al Qaeda.

He is now considering the possibility that it was carried out by Pakistanis, either because only 85 per cent of the agreed kickbacks to politicians had been paid or because of negotiations carried out by French authorities to sell submarines to India.

In any case, some French parliamentarians are now demanding to be allowed to look into how the submarine contract with Pakistan was negotiated and executed.

Courts influenced by pro-Taliban agencies?

However, according to Amir Mir, it may be recalled that in 2003, an Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) had found two men linked to a jehadi group - Harkatul Mujahideen Al Alami - responsible for the murders, although they have since been acquitted by the Sindh High Court due to a lack of proof.
Read more...

NRO Actually! (1st Instalment Of Truth)

Selection by: Jarri Mirza

Article written by: Marvi Sirmed

Before I write something about my own personal take on NRO and its legitimacy, I would like to analyze what it actually is and what it is about. While we hear a lot about in the media (generally biased against one party or the other), it is all the more necessary to look into what this word NRO means, what document it is and what it means to the politics in Pakistan. Since the writing could take many pages, and I’m doing it in detail clause by clause, I think we should make it easier for the reader to grasp the information in easiest possible way.

I would apologize from my lawyer friends for not writing this piece in a way they are used to read legislations in. And it is mainly because this piece is intended to serve lay people instead of technical professionals in the field of law. I would try my best to refrain from the legal jargon as far as it is possible. Even then, if there’s something beyond the understanding of a common person (me included), I would request the reader to kindly bring it in the comments so that we could collectively try to understand it. For the purpose of making the continuity easy, I’m calling these pieces “Instalments of Truth”, and this is the first instalment!

I often hear and read comments by lay-persons, saying that NRO was “signed” by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. Now, here’s where the folly lies! NRO is an abbreviated form of National Reconciliation Ordinance 2007, which is a piece of legislation. Legislation, as we all know, is a forte of the parliament in a parliamentary democracy like Pakistan. Pakistan, like many other nation satates, follows West Minster style of parliamentary system (UK, India, Australia, Canada to name few of the parliaments that follow West Minster). There is a corresponding system of government, commonly called Jeffersonian Parliaments, commonly called Presidential form of government (mainly USA). In a West Minster style parliamentary system like the one followed by Pakistan, President is the ceremonial head of the state, who has limited role in legislation.

According to the powers conferred upon the president, by the Constitution of Pakistan 1973, the President can issue an Ordinance as a piece of legislation when the Parliament is not sitting. Exercising the same power, General (now retired) Pervaiz Musharraf issued an ordinance called National Reconciliation Ordinance 2007, commonly known as NRO. Since it was an Ordinance, it was signed by the President of Pakistan, not by any political party sitting outside the government at that point in time. It is however, debatable, how this ordinance came into being. Without getting into the details of its origin for the time being, we’d go to what it says. The readers can refer to the original text of the NRO wherever s/he deems necessary, which I’ve already put on one of my blogs under the link: http://marvi-sirmed.blogspot.com/2009/10/national-reconciliation-ordinance-2007.html

The Ordinance has seven distinct Sections. Section I deals with the title of the Ordinance as is the usual practice of drafting a legislation.

Section II deals with an amendment in the Criminal Procedures Code (CrPC), which has been there since 1898. This Section of NRO amends section 494 of the CrPC, which empowered only the Prosecutor Generals to withdraw pending Criminal cases. After the amendment introduced by NRO, the Boards at Federal and Provincial Levels could be constituted to review the cases pending from 1st January 1986 to 12 October 1999. These Boards will see if the accused persons in these cases have been falsely involved in these cases on politically motivated reasons. In this case, the Review Boards thus created, can recommend withdrawal of cases to the respected governments.

These Review Boards would be of two types: Provincial and Federal. The Provincial Boards will be chaired by respectable retired Judges of High Courts and will comprise Advocate General / Prosecutor General and the Provincial Law Secretaries. The Federal Board will be chaired by a retired judge of the Supreme Court and will have Attorney General and Federal Law Secretary as its member, while both of these Boards would be appointed by federal and provincial governments as the case may be.

It is noteworthy here that NRO does not bind the federal and provincial governments to act upon the recommendations of the Review Boards. So, if any of the government doesn’t want to withdraw any of the cases, there’s no binding on them to comply with the Boards’ recommendations. In other words, the status of the Boards is recommendatory, not obligatory. It should also be noted here that this particular clause was included on the insistence of MQM, who was part of discussions made on such legislation. The dates mentioned in this section provide cover to the criminal cases made on MQM during the period from 1986 to 1999.



Source: http://marvisirmed.com/?p=193

Read more...