LAHORE; Feb 9th, 2022;
Three times Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif stands drum beated, convicted & indefinitely barred from Politics after 165 Court Appearances mostly with successor daughter Maryam on corruption charges as part of a thought out campaign to malign Pakistani Politicians for reasons vividly known to the plotters.
Even his brother Shahbaz Sharif is in the eye of storm nowadays despite having a clean overall workaholic reputation hitherto. Even Closed & shut cases like Hudaibiya Paper Mill were requested reopened by NAB, to round & frame him for corruption as well.
The present government harassed and imprisoned all members of Sharif Family in Pakistan besides the whole top leadership of PML-N during the last three years without convicting a single one of them.
By now, it’s clear that a nationwide corruption prosecution against country’s top political leadership on both sides of aisle couldn’t only be whimsical but distraction to earn some short term legitimacy for incumbent government and for thought out long term damage of defaming political leadership of Pakistan systematically.
With the sails down and chief prosecutor Shahzad Akbar, thrown out of the bandwagon, PTI must ponder who they entrusted the Job. Until 2009 Shahzad was one of the three dozen retainer lawyers on NAB panel. Who assigned him the role of Scotland Yard White color chief inspector is anybody’s guess, results are clear. These could be the same people who sent FIA’s Wajid Zia (chief prosecutor in Sharif family Panama cases being head of JIT) as head of Haj Delegation of State after Nawaz Sharif conviction.
Although the media is awash with news of Fake Accounts & Benamidaars, beginning with Zardari & culminating at Shahbaz Sharif, the spokesmen mouth pieces of PTI have not been able to bring any banker, fake account holders in front of the Media. If Shahzad Akber was so clear in their findings then why didn’t they present a trail with real actors involved? Have they released any certified Bank statement of any fake account holders to Media showing billions of Rupees transactions they are alleged to have received?
Let’s now attempt to gauge the reported corruption of Sharifs.
Everyone knows that Mian Mohammad Sharif was a self-made entrepreneur who opened his steel Foundry upon migration to Pakistan in 1939.He alongwith the toil of his seven brothers raised Ittefaq Foundries on the fringes of the 22 richest families of Pakistan before Zulfikar Ali Bhutto nationalized it as part of broader nationalizations of most primary & secondary industries in Pakistan.
But from 1939 – 1969 ( Forty Years ) the Sharif Family moved on to make Pakistan’s first Diesel Engine Casings for military jeeps NISHAN besides all kinds of electro-Mechanical equipment lie wheat & Rice Threshers and even Road Rollers besides steel products with Turnover back then in crores of rupees. Fully Battered Ittefaq Foundries after nationalsation was making reported turnover of over 33 crore rupees ( USD 16 million back then) in 1981 after it was returned by Zia ul Haq to Sharif Family in 1978. The foundry had three independent production zones by 1968 and employed over 2000 workforce with capitalization running in over a billion rupees. Ittefaq Foundry paid Rs. 894 million from 1979-86. The Foundry was worth Rest. 6 billion when it was surrendered to Banks to pay off outstanding loans of around Rs.3.5 billion.
BECO ( later PECO ) of Seth Latif & Ittefaq Foundry ( renamed LECO ) of Mian Sharif were two heavy steel industries in Lahore where most state guests were taken to show case the industrial development in Pakistan as role model factories in 1960’s.
This was before Nawaz Sharif started his political career and joined Punjab assembly as MP in 1985. He was made Finance Minister of Punjab in 1981 and chief minister of as part of party less polls in 1985. He was later reportedly facilitated as well into forming IJI & retaining Punjab- the largest province- as Chief Minister in 1988.
And seven Sharif Brothers by then were dwelling in series of sprawling White Houses at the gates of Model Town, Lahore. Each of these villas cost over 2 million dollars currently.
After achieving the market leader status in steel industry, Mian Sharif focused his growth in typical Sugar & Textile Industry. Using his successful business clout with Banks, Mian Sharif set up Sugar & Textile Units between 1980-1985, i.e. before Nawaz Sharif was picked as Finance Minister of Punjab in 1985.
The third and recent growth in Sharif’s business came after assets split between Nawaz Sharif & Shahbaz Sharif and that was in Poultry Feed Mills and Dairy Products like Anhaar brand, mainly steered by Hamza Shahbaz.
Four Avenfield apartments – the emblem of corruption- were bought between 1993-1996 by Mian Sharif in stages for about $ 800,000 (Rs. 16 crores) for his three sons. Later these apartments were merged into one bigger Apartment. Actually these apartments are pledged to Deutsche Bank UK against 7 Million British Pounds thru British banks since 2008. The Value of these plots was about the same loan i.e. 7 million pounds in 2018 as per Daily Mail, UK.
Shahbaz Sharif is now being trumpeted as the main corrupt mind in Sharif Family by PTI mouth pieces has recently been exonerated by National Crime Agency (NCA), after two year long inquiry prompted by FIA, NAB & Shehzad Akbar. Despite the claims of 4-8 billion Rs. Routed through maqsood chaprasee and others is nothing short of propaganda. Certain sections of NCA report submitted in UK Courts recently will shed a clear light on Sharif’s corruption.
Shahbaz Sharif took loan of 60,000 pounds from Aneel Mussarat ( Imran Khan’s friend ) to pay for the down payment for 315,000 Pounds ( Rs. 3 crores back in 2005 ) & paid back the loan as per agreement. This Apartment was bought for his son Suleman under a mortgage from Barclays Bank. Smacks assets beyond means.
Hamza Shahbaz took a loan of 75,000 Pounds (15 million Rs.) for the treatment of his only daughter from One Zulfikar from UK. Avenfield Apartments are pledged with Deusche Bank UK for a loan of 7 Million Pounds since 2008.
As per documents shared by Shehzad Akber with NCA, UK, a sum total 0f Rs 25 million is not reconciled in Shehbaz Sharif’s bank statements which may be traced to multiple accounts of Group Employees & companies. Does the state seriously thinks a person like Shahbaz Sharif Stature & assets would attempt doing corrupt practices in a third country i.e. UK.
Aneel Mussarat (whom Imran Khan rated to invest billions of pounds in his housing projects) is an ex-pat Pakistani who is friends with everybody and anybody who matters in Pakistan.
Recommendation; After seeing Royal retirement settlement of Gen (R) Raheel Sharif amounting to around 30 million Dollars in 2016 for honest & steadfast services to Motherland reported widely in local & International media, one can propound that his boss i.e. prime ministers of Pakistan may also be at least 60 million USD in order to incentivize them into paying taxes properly & fully report their wealth to FBR on time and not be shy of your summer houses anywhere in the world, where we all belong.