Government steps up pressure on Shahbaz

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar Thursday accused Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif of using Chief Minister's (CM's) Secretariat for carrying out 'criminal' activities.

Addressing a press conference here in response to Shahbaz Sharif's London media talk, Shahzad Akbar along with Federal Minister for Communication Murad Saeed said that anti-graft authorities have acquired more evidence against Shahbaz Sharif, who "used the Punjab CM's Secretariat as a control room for a criminal network."

Akbar also offered the opposition leader free legal services to file a case against British newspaper Daily Mail which has accused Shahbaz Sharif of plundering billion of rupees from earthquake affectees' funds.

Akbar said the investigations further disclosed the stories of over 200 fake and fictitious telegraphic transfers (TTs). This amount was used by Sharif to build an "empire of 32 to 35 companies". He said the names of innocent people were also used in the TTs. He claimed that assets of Shehbaz Sharif and his family members increased manifold in the past 10 years.

Akbar said Pakistan has secured repatriation of 190 million pounds from Britain after a settlement with real estate tycoon. It is the first time that the repatriation of such an amount took place in a case which is civil in nature and no element of guilt is involved in it. He thanked the British government for extending cooperation in relation to the matter.

Akbar said that three employees of Shahbaz Sharif's Good Nature Company (GNC) were identified who were "involved" in running this multibillion rupees network. They were also employed in the CM's Secretariat at different posts, he alleged. Nisar Gul, who is in custody of NAB, has "admitted" that this was a fake company through which they laundered seven billion rupees, Akbar added. He put forward 18 questions for the PML-N leader and asked everyone to seek their answers from him.

He explained that corruption was carried out during Shehbaz's ten-year tenure as Punjab chief minister. Aided by charts, he explained that their entire fortune has been built by funnelling money from kickbacks into their personal accounts, before injecting them into their own companies to mimic sales.

"During this period, Shehbaz's assets rose by 70 percent while his son Salman's increased manifolds," he said. However, despite their repeated claims of innocence, the Sharifs have not been able to provide a single shred of evidence to prove their innocence, he added.

Mentioning the article published in the Daily Mail that alleged that Shehbaz had embezzled funds provided by UK's Department for International Development, he said that the former chief minister was surprisingly mum on the issue despite his initial response.

"So many facts have been revealed in recent days. Setting his claims about taking legal action against Daily Mail aside, he has not given a specific answer to any of the allegations levelled against him," he said. This is a question about the country and the people's respect, he added.

He stated that the government encourages agreements in civil cases and does not wish to keep people in jail. He made the remarks while commenting on £190 million settlement between United Kingdom's National Crime Agency (NCA) and the family of property tycoon. Akbar maintained that this was the first time in the history of the country that money had been repatriated from another country through a legal process.

Addressing real estate tycoon's claims that the money had been paid to the Supreme Court, he said that the money will be taken from the SC and handed over to the State.

He also maintained that the government is thankful to the UK government and the NCA for expediting the investigation and returning the money to Pakistan.

However, because the case involved the government of another country, he was bound to confidentiality and could not comment on the details. "I am bound by a deed of confidentiality," he added.

The PML-N president on Wednesday last lashed out at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for the "selective" accountability being carried out in the country.