Opposition leaders’ graft cases: Fawad urges judiciary to allow live telecast of hearings

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Monday made a passionate appeal to the judiciary to allow live telecast of court proceeding in PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and other opposition leaders’ cases.
“In our opinion, the courts’ proceedings over of Shehbaz Sharif’s case should be telecast live by allowing cameras so that people should know the reality involved in his case,” he said while addressing a news conference.

He said that public had every right to know as to how the Sharif family laundered money through accounts of their agents and peons.

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Likewise, the nation also wanted accountability of the Zardari family which also allegedly remained involved in corruption and money laundering through fake accounts.

“Our only appeal to the courts is that the people of this county has a right to see whether the allegations against them are correct or not,” he said, while urging the top judiciary to allow live telecast of the hearings of the cases filed against different opposition leaders for plundering national wealth.

“The people get frustrated,” he said while quoting Prime Minister Imran Khan as saying that it was imperative to recover looted money from the corrupt elements as three to four years had already been passed.

He said the live telecast and daily hearing of their cases would help the people to ascertain as to how those politicians had plundered them during their tenures. Recovery of public money from corrupt people should be made at the earliest.

Fawad said the cases against Zardari and Sharif families should be expedited as it would be mockery of state if the looted money was not recovered from them.

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He said both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) followed identical models for corruption during their governmental tenures as specific persons were nominated for amassing the state resources in their accounts. It had now been exposed as to how both the parties created network of [fake] accounts, he added.

The minister said startling revelations came to the light after Omni scandal was surfaced and revealed that suspicious transactions were made through some five thousands fake accounts.
Some Rs 12 billion had been recovered so far, he added.

Likewise, Shehbaz Sharif after becoming chief minister of Punjab abolished the local government system and usurped its financial resources which were later deposited to the accounts of ‘Shehbaz Sharif and Company’.

He said an amount of Rs 4 billion was found to the account of Malik Maqsood who was peon at the Ramzan Sugar mill owned the Sharif family. Likewise, Telegraphic transfers worth billions of rupee were made in the name of Manzoor, who used to sell snack, and Mushtaq Cheeni and later poured in the accounts Shehbaz Sharif and his children.

“This is the system abolished by the prime minister by bringing an empowered local government system,” he remarked.

Fawad said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government took revolutionary steps to empower the people at grassroots level. The previous governments had failed to introduce an empowered local government system in the country, he pointed out.

He said though multiple powers were transferred to the provinces from federation after 18th constitutional amendment, but it could not be further devolved to districts that hampered development of the cities.

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The PPP government in Sindh was not giving due share of the people of Karachi which increased their sufferings, he said, adding the districts would get their full share under the new local government system introduced by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Under the new system, the Mayors would be elected by the people directly to run their districts, he said, adding the same system was already in practice in New York, London and Paris.
He regretted that the Sindh government had not only deprived its people of health card facility, but also remained reluctant to take part in carrying out the basic reforms in the local government, which was highly condemnable.

Fawad said economy was on verge of collapse when the PTI came into the power, but it successfully achieved 5.37% growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) despite the impact of coronavirus pandemic.

He said the smart lockdown policy was in PM Imran Khan’s credit as he was the only leader who decided against locking down the whole country.

The entire world initially imposed complete lock-down to contain the pandemic, but later eased the restrictions.

Even, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was asking to adopt smart lockdown policy, he added.

“Our economy is progressing due to the right decisions taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan and per capita income has jumped to $1650 from $1400.
He said there had been impact of global inflation on the country but it was also a fact that the income of citizens had also increased.

Some hundred companies had earned record profit of Rs 929 billion, he said, adding the prime minister had called upon the companies to raise their employees’ salaries.

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To a query, the minister said the Attorney General had written a letter to Shehbaz Sharif asking him to explain the reasons for not bringing his brother Nawaz Sharif back from London as he already submitted an affidavit in the court.

He said it was strange that Nawaz Sharif, on the one hand, was holding meeting at his residence in London, while on the other side denied its ownership in public.

Fawad also lashed out at both the brothers Nawaz and Shehbaz for taking plea in their defence at court that the law of Pakistan did not apply on their children. Ironically, their children became owners of palatial palaces even before their birth, he added.

Fawad said it was habit of the Sharif family to influence the judiciary. They got exposed in the matter pertaining to affidavit of former chief judge of Gilgit-Baltistan Rana Shamim.

He said the tape of UK solicitor Charles Guthrie had confirmed that Nawaz Sharif dictated the affidavit to Rana Shamim at his office. Nawaz Sharif who did not rebutted it should be penalized.

To a query, he said former PM’s advisor on accountability Shahzad Akbar performed well in difficult circumstances and exposed the corrupt people.