Monetary dispute: Sindh governor’s brother, sister-in-law seek protection against MQM leader

The couple claims they are owed money by Rauf Siddiqui, who is now threatening them

KARACHI:

The sister-in-law of Sindh governor approached the police on Monday night to register a case against a senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader, Rauf Siddiqui, and his allies, seeking protection in the wake of death threats to her and her family.

Dr Shehla Amir, the wife of Amirul Ibad Khan, a brother of Sindh governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, submitted the application against death threats meted out to her, her family and her company's employees by Rauf Siddiqui and his allies, identified in the application as Shaiq and Raza Abidi, following a monetary dispute.

Dr Shehla Amir visited the District Central police chief DIG Feroz Shah and reported the matter to him. She also submitted an application, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, requesting the police to look into the matter, register an FIR and take action against the perpetrators.

"Our lives are in danger," said Amirul Ibad Khan while speaking to The Express Tribune. "This has been going on for the last five months but we took it non-seriously. We were finally compelled to approach the police after we started receiving threats."

In her application, Dr Shehla Amir stated that she and her family are Canadian citizens. In 2009, her husband decided to move back to Pakistan and established an alternate energy company, titled RAAS Systems Enterprises, in Karachi.

"We introduced renewable energy technology in Pakistan to combat the energy crisis. We not only brought the advance technology in Pakistan, but also invested in the business. This is not only a social service but also a step towards the future," the application stated.

RAAS Systems Inc was called by Rauf Siddiqui in December 2011 to carry out some projects in Karachi, including solar outdoor lights at Nazeer Hussain University, Federal B Area, solar street lights at Afza Altaf Flyover, Habib Bank Chowrangi, SITE and a home-based generation system at Rauf Siddiqui's residence," stated the application.

It further stated that an agreement was signed between FSCL private limited and RAAS Systems Inc. before executing the project at Afza Altaf Flyover in which all terms and conditions were mentioned.

"We have completed the project within the specified period of time under immense pressure and persuasion of the Minister Office, SITE Limited and Consultant Office, International Design Group (IDG) Private Limited. During the execution of the project, FSCL Private Limited partially stopped the project due to some unknown reasons," she said in the application.

"There is an outstanding amount of 700,000 Canadian dollars in the project of Afza Altaf Flyover. This outstanding amount includes all the demurrages, future business opportunities and currency exchange rate difference," she said. "We were told that this amount was kept aside as bhatta (extortion) for the political party and had been transferred to the party's high command. Shaiq and Raza told us that their company, FSCL Private Limited, is used by this political party for funds collection," the application stated.

She further stated in the application that the company had suffered a lot due to the non-payment of the outstanding amount was on the verge of bankruptcy. It seems that the political victimisation is being carried out with me and my family.

"Rauf Siddiqui is pressurising my husband to forego the money we are rightfully owed. We are being harassed by some unknown persons to keep silent," she stated in the application.

On the other hand, no case has been registered. DSP Zahid Hussain said that the police was reviewing the application and will also record the statements of the persons who are accused in the application.

For his part, Siddiqui denied that he had threatened the couple and said he will take them to court for making false charges. "I have never met the governor's brother or his wife. They are fraudsters and are falsely accusing me of threatening them."

Siddiqui sees this as an attempt to malign him as well as the university. "These people are lying and just blackmailing us. They took the money from us but never completed the work."

Meanwhile, the director of Friends Construction Syndicate Limited (FSCL), Raza Ali Abidi, refuted the allegations leveled against him and his company, claiming that the governor’s brothers were trying to blackmail them into extorting the funds. He added that they will initiate civil and criminal proceedings against the couple in both Pakistan and Canada.
With additional reporting by Rabia Ali

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2015.