Farahnaz Ispahani, one of the spokespersons of PPP Co-Chairperson and President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday rejected the impression that the President was responsible for sugar crisis in 2006 saying that "the President does not own any sugar mill in the country".
Responding to media reports quoting the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) report on sugar crisis in 2006, Farahnaz said: "Years of investigation by accountability machines of Mian Nawaz Sharif and Pervez Musharraf could not find any links of Asif Ali Zardari to any such mills."
While criticising the news items being published in newspapers, she said: "It is very interesting that a preliminary report prepared with no proper inquiry or investigation in the year 2006 by the NAB has been given so much credence now." She said the facts show that the NAB report was prepared on the basis of newspaper clippings and no firsthand report of the NAB officials was part of the preliminary report.
She also pointed out that in 2006, Asif Ali Zardari was being persecuted by the Musharraf regime and all his assets were seized and frozen. Farahnaz Ispahani said that some lobbies continue to try and malign the elected leadership of the country. "These are the people who have always benefited from the military dictatorships and are present in different sections of the society and keep twisting facts to suit their agendas."