In his article titled ‘All of a kind’ (April 23), Dr A Q Khan quoted Raymond Baker’s book ‘Capitalism’s Achilles Heel’ as a ‘cogent testimony’ against the PML-N President Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. Some parts of the book – page 82 to page 85 – contain allegations against Nawaz Sharif which are based on eight citations. I would like to focus on these references and their in-authenticity. The first citation has been taken from a report published by an English language weekly newspaper whose owner faced various trials during the second tenure of Nawaz Sharif as prime minister of Pakistan. Since Raymond Baker didn’t have direct access to the periodical, citation has been taken from the website of the MQM, a political rival of the PML-N. This citation, featuring value of assets between Itifaq Group and eight financial institutions, share of assets between the late Mian Sharif and his six brothers and outstanding loan on the basis of these assets, mentioned the report of only one company. It is common knowledge that the Itifaq Group held a different legal opinion towards the said company. It may also be recalled that all relevant issues had been resolved with the mutual agreement of stakeholders a long time ago. The second citation has been extracted from the news published by another English language newspaper. The news story levelled allegations against Nawaz Sharif but failed to provide a single proof to authenticate the accusations. The third citation is taken from a Dubai-based newspaper, which published the news of Nawaz Sharif’s summon by the accountability court during the dictatorial era of Musharraf. Everyone knows the reality of such summons issued during the army rule which hold no legality. An Indian newspaper, which published the PPP’s allegation against Nawaz Sharif, is the basis of the fourth citation. It was not an ‘investigative story’ by the newspaper which simply chose to publish the statement of Rehman Malik – a known PML-N foe. The next three citations are also based on Rehman Malik’s interview to a US newspaper. The last citation relates to the article of an Indian journalist. The article revolved around the journalist’s speculations and opinions on Nawaz Sharif’s forced exile in Saudi Arabia. In a nutshell, all the eight citations have no weight. With due respect, Dr A Q Khan may not have read the book thoroughly. He also wrote that Raymond Baker’s book ‘Capitalism’s Achilles Heel’ showcased bank accounts of Nawaz Sharif in detail. The fact is that no such information can be found in the book. It is hoped that the above-mentioned clarification puts the record straight. Muhammad Mehdi Media coordinator Pakistan Muslim League-N
