The national exchequer would have to pay the cost of national reconciliation in shape of releasing frozen assets worth $1.5 billion to the royal couple, Benazir Bhutto, her spouse Asif Ali Zardari in forthcoming days besides de-sealing of sugar mills, textile mills, chemical industries and valuable agriculture, commercial properties worth hundred millions, it is learnt.
The PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto can claim interest on frozen assets, which is estimated to be billions of rupees and the situation is very depressant to the State Bank of Pakistan to decide the fate.
A senior official at SBP headquarters told this scribe that this is quite new situation to the central bank, which is absolutely different from the procedure of loan write-off or dealing in debt servicing.
He observed if Benazir Bhutto claims mark up from the government against her frozen assets and account it would reach to $9.6 million at the interest rate of 0.6 percent. The situation needs formulation of new policy and new modalities for swift policy measures would be chalked out to release the frozen account former ruling couple.
Sources said that four countries, which include France, Poland, Spain and Switzerland lodged complaints and provided documentary evidences to Pakistani government on corruption of the couple while cases were registered against them in Spain and Switzerland.
A senior PPP leader on the condition of anonymity disclosed that unfortunately Benazir Bhutto always struck deal in politics against the basic philosophy of Bhutto Shaheed who always believed on resistance and struggle.
The source said first Benazir Bhutto struck a deal with a military dictator when she left the country in 1984 through a deal with General Zia ul Haq that was negotiated by her friend and important associate of the US administration.
Similarly, her return in 1986, awarding 'Tamgah-i-Jamhuriat' to army and subsequent assumption of power in 1988 were brokered through 'deals' with the Military establishment conducted under the auspices of US imperialism. She dragged PPP away from its founding socialist principles with every deal and tried to present herself as a stateswoman more capable of diverting the mass movements and protecting the interest of imperialism and finance capital than others, he reacted.
Mian Nawaz Sharif deported by force of the state, a smooth homecoming of Benazir, facilitated by the same state apparatus, would not build up any political fortune for the Party, he added. He was of the view that she has earned discredit and she would probably further delay her return.
Available investigation reports revealed that Rawalpindi accountability court had ordered freezing of world-wide assets and bank accounts of Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari last year and all these assets and accounts would be restored or released swiftly at the cost of joining hands with president Pervez Musharraf.
The value of assets and accounts is estimated to the tune of $1.6 billion. The NAB found the assets and bank accounts of Zardari that have been ordered to be frozen includes his share in 25 offshore companies namely, Bomer Finance, Mariston Securities, Nasam Alexander located in the British Virgin Island, Florida Isle of Man and Isle of Jersey.
Zardaris' frozen foreign assets also include 355 acres of Rockwood Estate (Surrey Palace), apartments in the posh Queens Gate Terrace and Hammer Smith of London, four shops in Brussels and two apartments.
The Surrey Palace has been sold to a billionaire based in Qatar at six time higher rates than its original price. Zardari's assets in US which include Texas Stud Farm and properties in Wellington Club East, West Palm Beach.
The 25 bank accounts of Zardari, which the Accountability court had ordered for freezing included Union Bank Switzerland, Citibank Private Limited and Citibank, Dubai.
The NAB court also ordered all the District Co-ordination Officers for confiscating properties of Zardari and Benazir Bhutto which included 150 acres of land in Sanghar, Nawabshah and Hyderabad besides Sikandar Sugar Mills, Ansari Sugar Mills, Mirza Sugar Mills, Panjero Sugar Mills, Bachani Sugar Mills, 80 acres of land at Hawksbay and one acre plots each in Clifton and Saddar, Karachi.
In 1999 the court ordered seizure of inland assets and properties after bloodless military coup which include six sugar mills, two textile units, one cement factory, two chemical industries, one ice factory, agriculture property, commercial/residential property, etc.
The oxford graduated Benazir Bhutto first came in power in 1988 at the age of 35 and her husband Asif Ali Zardari acquired the nickname "Mr 10%" on allegedly receiving kickbacks and she started depending upon Zardari emotionally.
Her first government was dismissed on corruption charges in 1990 and she again came to power in 1993 and Zardari was nicknamed to "Mr 30%" and BB made him investment minister.
Former president Sardar Farooq Khan Leghari dismissed her government on September 1996 on corruption charges. The NAB reports revealed that Benazir Bhutto allegedly transferred money worth 50,000 pounds sterling in October 1994 which was sent directly from the numbered account at Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) into Zardari's own personal account at Barclays Bank, Knightsbridge. However, BB always rejected corruption charges, which were levelled on the basis of fake documents.
The Auditor General of Pakistan report revealed the former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan had spent Rs 28 million for filing 19 corruption cases against the couple in 1990-92.
French authorities indicated in 1998 that Zadari offered exclusive rights to Dassault, a French aircraft manufacturer, to replace the air force's fighter jets in exchange for a 5 percent commission to be paid to a corporation in Switzerland controlled by Zardari.
The Swiss Government handed over documents on money laundering to the government of Pakistan which relate to corruption allegations against Benazir Bhutto and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari in 1998. The Polish Government had given Pakistan 500 pages of documentation relating to corruption allegations against Benazir Bhutto and her husband in purchase of 8,000 tractors in the 1997 tractor purchase deal.
Benazir Bhutto launched Awami tractor scheme for the welfare of poor peasants and allegedly received 7.15 percent commission on purchase of tractors through their front men, Jens Schlegelmilch and Didier Plantin of Dargal S.A, who received about $1.969 million for supplying 5,900 Ursus Tractors.
The National Accountability Bureau claimed in the first quarter of last year that the bureau had found two Sharjah-based offshore companies owned by Benazir Bhutto and her family indicating that the former premier had stashed corruption money in Spain.
The Spanish authorities initiated criminal proceedings against BB and her associates under money laundering laws and froze the companies' assets, four bank accounts and a villa in Valencia, revealed NAB report. On the other hand PPP had rejected the NAB report terming it as the part of victimisation of the couple.
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