Murad Ali Shah. PHOTO: EXPRESS
KARACHI: Clarifying the Sindh government's position, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Wednesday that he had already given instructions to the chief secretary to hand over records sought by the Joint Investigation Team conducting an investigation in the case of money laundering through 'fake' bank accounts.
JIT seeks details of Sindh govt contractors in fake accounts case
The JIT had on October 22 complained to the Supreme Court (SC) that the Sindh government was not cooperating in the investigations. Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and their business associates are being probed in a 2015 case regarding fake accounts and fictitious transactions conducted through 'benami' accounts.
The transactions did not match the profiles of the account holders and they appeared to have acted as instruments for parking illegal money. The JIT had also complained to the SC that the team was not being facilitated in getting access to the relevant record from various provincial departments.
"Unfortunately, the level of cooperation by the Sindh government is unsatisfactory, as they are providing information in a piecemeal manner," Ahsaan Sadiq, head of the JIT, had informed a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on October 22.
On the other hand, Sindh Advocate-General Salman Talibuddin had rejected the claim of the JIT head and termed his statement 'unkind'. Talibuddin said first, the JIT sought details of each contract the provincial government had signed since 2008, adding even the team asked for the detail of any contract made to whitewash an official room.
"In view of the JIT's request, the Sindh government has sought time to share the record," he added. The Sindh advocate general said later, the JIT had shared a list of 46 companies and individuals and asked for the details of any contract signed with those individuals.
The chief minister said that details sought by the JIT regarding the works and services among other government departments have been provided. However, giving a 10-year record [from 2008 to 2018] of the provincial government is not an easy task and will take time, he added.
"Look at the demand. They [the JIT] are demanding the record of 10 years, including the details of the contractors who participated in the different bids announced by the irrigation and works and services departments, along with the names and CNIC numbers of the contractors to whom work was given," he said.
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He shared that the JIT had written another letter asking for the records of work assigned to 46 contractors, whose names have been given.
"The government has given them the record of the works and service department contracts and the record of the irrigation department is being prepared," the CM assured.
Shah assured of his cooperation in the matter, saying that any record required by the JIT would be given to them but there should be some 'rationale'.
"I have issued necessary directives to the chief secretary and the secretaries concerned," he said, adding that the government has nothing to hide. To another question, Shah said that he was called by the apex court during his last tenure and he appeared happily and would also appear again, if called.
To another question about the constitution of a task-force on development by the federal government, the CM commented, "Don't take it seriously--let them do whatever they want but they must invest in the infrastructure and uplift of Karachi."
He added that he had a feeling that the Centre was ignoring Sindh in terms of development work.
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