At what he termed the ‘first episode’ of an expose against the Sharif brothers, Interior Minister Rehman Malik claimed he has evidence against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders siphoning off public funds worth $32 million.
The government will file corruption references against the Sharif family with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Malik said at a news conference on Saturday.
He admitted that this was a ‘tit-for-tat’ strategy.
“We will send corruption references against the Sharif family to NAB next week,” Malik said. Waving some thick files at the cameras, Malik said he had collected this evidence in his personal capacity after he was asked by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto to investigate the Hudabiya Paper Mills case, the Mehran Bank scandal and various other cases related to money laundering. He added that he could provide it to NAB and the apex court “if they take suo motu notice of the Sharif brothers’ corruption.”
What he provided to the audience, however, was a seven-page document which gave a historical background of some corruption cases filed against PML-N leaders. “Each and every booklet speaks of their corruption,” he said. He added that has proof against Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s ‘wrongdoings,’ but did not provide any evidence. Malik added that this is just the ‘first episode’ and he will make further revelations later.
‘Pack of lies’
PML-N Information Secretary Mushahidullah Khan rejected the allegations levelled by Malik, terming them ‘a pack of lies.’
“We cannot believe a person [Rehman Malik] who has tainted himself and sought the president’s pardon on his conviction,” Khan said. The PML-N is ready to face a trial and the government should go ahead and present this ‘evidence’ in the court, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2012.
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