One Hundred corruption cases to reopen in 25 days

By Ansar Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: Over 100 corruption and criminal cases involving many top politicians and bureaucrats, which were settled under the controversial NRO after February 2, 2008, would automatically reopen after 25 days on Nov 28.

NAB documents and information collected from other sources reveal that not only President Asif Ali Zardari but most of his confidants and top political and bureaucratic aides benefited from the NRO after February 2, 2008, after the controversial ordinance had completed its constitutional life of 120 days.

The Presidency’s decision not to enact the NRO with effect from February 2, 2008 would reopen all the cases settled after that date as per the Supreme Court decision. Documents reveal that under the NRO reference (ref) 91/2004 against Rehman Malik, the present interior minister, for alleged misuse of authority, was closed down on March 3, 2008. On the same day, another case (ref 92/2004) against Rehman Malik for alleged receipt of two cars from Toyota Motors as illegal gratification on account of purchase of official vehicles was also closed under the NRO.

On March 5, 2008, five cases (ref Nos 14/2001, 6/2000, 13/2001, 41/2001 and 23/2000) against President Asif Ali Zardari were closed down. These cases ware about assets beyond known source of income, illegal construction of a polo ground at the PM House and loss of national exchequer, alleged corruption and corrupt practices in the Green Tractor scheme, corruption and corrupt practices in the SGS case and corruption and corrupt practices in the ARY Gold case. Former principal secretary to the prime minister Saeed Mehdi and Shafi M Sehwani (who expired several years back) were involved in the Polo ground case. PPP MNA and former federal minister Yousuf Talpur and ex-chairman ADBP Badaruddin Zaidi were co-accused in the Green Tractor Scheme case. A former secretary, A R Siddiqi, was a co-accused with Zardari in the SGS case. In the ARY Gold case, former secretary commerce Aslam Hayat Qureshi, Principal Secretary to the President Salman Faruqi and former secretary finance and Pakistanís Executive Director at the World Bank Javed Talat are the co-accused. All these politicians, bureaucrats and their civilian (mostly businessman) co-accused were also acquitted on the same date, March 5, 2007. Though Yousuf Talpur’s name is reflected in the NAB’s list of NRO beneficiaries, he told the National Assembly on Tuesday that he did not take any benefit from the law.

On March 13, 2005, Zardari got acquittal from yet another case of kickback in pre-shipment, also known as the Cotechna case. Begum Nusrat Bhutto was co-accused in the case along with a government servant, Arif Siddiqui, both of whom were cleared on the same date. The BMW case, Murtaza murder case, drug case etc were also cleared after February 2008.

Former MNA and district Nazim DG Khan Sardar Mansoor Leghari was cleared under the NRO on March 19, 2008. A government servant, Sadiq Ali Khan, too was cleared on March 19, 2008. Anwar Saifullah, former petroleum minister, got acquittal in five different cases on May 7, 2008.

PPP Secretary General Jehangir Badar, former PPP MNA Mushtaq Awan and ex-chief secretary Punjab Javed Qureshi were acquitted after February 2008 in corruption and illegal appointment cases. The same was the case with the former NDFC chairman and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran MB Abbasi, ex-Pak Steel chairman Usman Farooqi and former IB chief Brigadier Imtiaz.

Former interior minister Aftab Khan Sherpao and former deputy speaker Nawaz Khokhar were acquitted under the NRO in July 2008. A PML-N MNA Rana Nazir too benefited from the NRO and got cleared in April 2008. Farzana Raja’s ex-husband Pir Mukramul Haq was acquitted of corruption cases after Feb 2008.

Other such NRO beneficiaries include Ibrar Hussain, Inamur Rehman Sehri, Habibullah Tasnim, Muhammad Saeed, Raees M Irshad, Ghulam Qadir Lakhan, Shafique Siddiqi, Ahmad Hussain, Iqbal Bangash, Khurshid Anwar, M Akbar, Ikramul Haq Mirza, A D Abbasi, Kh Farooq Ahmad, Rafique Shad, Sadiq Ali Khan, Ch Muhammad Aslam, Abdul Ghafoor Aslam, Muhammad Ahmad Baloch, Muhammad Ismail, Ahmed Khan, Atta Ullah Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Muzamil Hussain, Dawood Khan, Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Amin, Abdul Ghafoor Dogar, Mushtaq Ahmad Baloch, Muhammad Iqbal, Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Ismail, Din Muhammad, Raheel J Qureshi, Murid Ahmed Baloch, Muhammad Farooq, Salim Raza, Muhammad Anwar, Muhammad Akbar, Arshad Mehmood, Mohiuddin Jameeli, Muhammad Ashfaq, Muhammad Zaheer Ahmed Khan, Iqbal Ahmed, Sadiq Ali Khan, Sikandar Ali Abbasi, Raja Zahid Hussain, Abdul Naeem Khan, Sh Muhammad Amin, Abdul Ghafoor Khan, Muhammad Ali, Abdul Hayee Qamar, Qazi Naeem Ahmad, Jaffar Muhammad etc.