Pakistan

ANP senator on K-P graft watchdog’s target sights

Ehtesab Commission seeks help from Islamabad police to arrest ANP Senator Sitara Ayaz

Our Correspondent October 18, 2015

Sitara Ayaz. PHOTO FILE

ISLAMABAD:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission has sought help from the Islamabad police to arrest Senator Sitara Ayaz of the Awami National Party (ANP) for her alleged misuse of power and corrupt practices.

Citing a procedural hiccup, Islamabad’s inspector general of police refused to arrest Sitara, who currently lives in the Parliament Lodges, without prior permission from Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani. A police spokesperson told The Express Tribune that they have written a letter to the Senate chairman seeking his permission. Before her election to the upper house of parliament, Sitara was a social welfare minister in the ANP-led government in K-P between 2008 and 2013. The K-P Ehtesab Commission has accused her of misuse of authority and corrupt practices during her tenure as provincial minister.

Read: Senators trade allegations amid calls for accountability

The K-P home department informed the federal interior ministry about the arrest warrants issued by the Ehtesab Commission against Sitara. And subsequently, an Ehtesab Commission team approached the capital police to seek their help in the matter.

Sitara has denied corruption allegations against her. Instead she alleged that the Ehtesab Commission was victimising her. Apart from Sitara and her spouse, several other ANP leaders are facing charges of corruption and misuse of powers. They include former chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, his adviser Syed Masood Shah, and former education minister Sardar Hussain Babak.

Read: Digging in: PML-N won’t ask Punjab-based party officials to resign

Hoti has expressed serious reservations about the functioning of the Ehtesab Commission, established by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government in the province, alleging that the anti-corruption watchdog was being used ‘to humiliate’ political rivals. “We will continue our legal and political struggle, despite such baseless allegations,” said Hoti who, along with other ANP office-bearers, addressed a news conference a few months before.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2015.

COMMENTS (8)

Jahan | 9 years ago | Reply She's from ANP. The party is responsible for why pakhtuns were way behind education as they ruled during the long era and now when the tables are being cleaned these people will obviously take no responsibility for their mess. ANP is just like MQM.

Farhad Sarhadi | 9 years ago | Reply If she is not corrupt she should come forward and prove that to Ehthesab commission. Why she is living under banner of senate. Most of the ANP leader are corrupt the Pakhthun get poor will ANP leader got richer in their tenure.

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Mr. honest | 9 years ago | Reply Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani will never allow her to be arrested as PPP and ANP were hand in gloves in massive corruption of the national exchequer from 2008-13.

Nk | 9 years ago | Reply In the history of Pakistan I think the biggest period of corruption was 2008-2013. And as corrupt as ppp was, anp was twice as corrupt. No improvement in kpk or Peshawar. One overhead bridge that is about 200m long and took 5 years to build. That's all that changed during their tenure. The only other thing that changed was Mardan, Hotis home ground, where all the development and roads were around properties hotis and their cronies owned, minting billions from property price increases. Jail all of them.

Fawad khan | 9 years ago | Reply This is the real change. Well done Ehtesab commission KPK. You have made us proud.

Open Secret | 9 years ago | Reply Nobody should be above accountability. If Ehtesab Commission KP has enough solid grounds that she engaged in corruption, then the due process of law should be allowed to proceed. The previous ANP tenure was synonymous with corruption, nepotism and plunder of the worst kind.

Mamu | 9 years ago | Reply Great work Ehtisab Commission!!! Bring all to accountibility. May it be from PTI or any other party. Root out corruption.

Muhammad Khan | 9 years ago | Reply ANP is corrupt and thank God they no longer rule kyber puktuwaka. They should be arrested and put under trail for their corruption.

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