Musharraf has left the country but problems are still pursuing him

‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ on Wednesday

 Execution of Motiur Rahman proves that Hasina Wajid government in Bangladesh still embroiled in the past; the PanamaLeaks issue has become political

KARACHI: The leader of a gang that used to abuse children in Swat has been arrested along with accomplices, said Shahzeb Khanzada on Geo News programme, ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ on Wednesday.

Shahzeb Khanzada, moving on to a different topic, said it has been agreed during a meeting between Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar and the British high commissioner that the two countries would fully cooperate with each other on the Imran Farooq murder case and the money-laundering case.

In the Imran Farooq murder case, Pakistan wants Britain to take all the three suspects being held in Pakistan, but Britain is only interested in taking Mohsin Ali Syed who committed a crime like murder on the soil of Britain.   

Shahzeb Khanzada, while commenting on the execution of the Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, said that the hanging of the 73-year-old Motiur Rehman, Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, clearly shows that the government of Hasina Wajid in Bangladesh is still embroiled in the past spanning 45 years. The Bangladesh law minister said that Motiur Rehman was executed for committing war crimes.

Commenting on the issue of Panama Leaks, Shahzeb Khanzada said that the issue has become a political matter now. The government and the opposition are now engaged in achieving political objectives only. On the issue of Panama Leaks, the government and the opposition are asking each other for explanations.

Commenting on the recovery of Ali Haider Gilani from Afghanistan, Shahzeb said that Ali Haider Gilani’s recovery from Afghanistan has once again proved that all is not well on Pakistan’s western borders.

Shahzeb Khanzada said that though Pervez Musharraf has left Pakistan, yet problems are pursuing him. A special court has declared him a proclaimed offender in the high-treason case. The court has sought details of his properties from the prosecution.

Shahzeb Khanzada, while commenting on the matter of disclosure by Panama Leaks of names of owners of media houses, said that the media owners who own offshore companies are as much answerable to the people as anybody else. He said that Panama Leaks contained names of many owners of media houses vis-à-vis offshore companies. Shahzeb said, “Panama Leaks has the name of media house we are talking about, and Panama Leaks also has the name of the owners of the media house for which we work, and they all must clarify.”

Shahzeb said that when the first installment of Panama Leaks appeared, everybody learnt through none other than Jang, The News and Geo that Panama Leaks also has the name of the Editor-in-Chief of the Jang Group. “If we talk about owners of other media houses and if we observe their media coverage, their newspapers and their websites, we clearly see names omitted.

“We too raised the question through our programme that we are being asked that the name of the owners of this channel or group have also appeared in the Panama Leaks, and that they should also respond,” he said. “We sent our questions to the management vis-à-vis appearance of the name of the Editor-in-Chief of the Jang Group in Panama Leaks. When the name appeared in the first installment of Panama Leaks, so did the response.

“On the very first day on April 4, the Editor-in-Chief of the Jang Group issued a clarification in Jang and The News, but questions remained coming up. More questions emerged at the time of the second installment of Panama Leaks. Then on May 4, the Editor-in-Chief of the Jang Group offered himself for investigation regarding offshore companies.

“In a letter sent on May 4 to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the chairmen of FBR and the National Accountability Bureau, a request has been made by the Editor-in-Chief of the Jang Group that his name has been printed in newspapers regarding an offshore company, though the offshore company had never been operational, no transaction took place through it, and no bank account was opened through it.

“The Editor-in-Chief of the Jang Group said in the letter that he once again offered himself for any kind of investigation in any manner whatsoever, including forensic audit and examination.”

Shahzeb Khanzada said that the letter was sent on May 4, and the institutions concerned acknowledged having received it the very next day.

The letter says that the whole matter emerged in April, and his name was included in the published reports by Umar Cheema in Jang and The News, an explanation about which he had already made to the ICIJ representative in Pakistan, Umar Cheema, that the company was formed, but neither did the company do any business nor did it have any bank account or assets. This clarification along with the report was published in the newspapers. In this regard, Umar Cheema was shown the document about the offshore company on which he appeared satisfied.

Now that a letter has been written to the Chief Justice and other institutions, it is incumbent on other institutions to conduct an investigation and bring the truth before the people. Whatever truth emerges, we will put it before the people through the platform of this programme. Since the Editor-in-Chief of the group has written a letter and has fulfilled his responsibilities, now it’s the responsibility of the institutions to investigate into what he has said.

“Aitzaz Ahsan said a few things in this context, and I would like my viewers to hear what he has said.”

Aitzaz Ahsan’s clip: “Today we saw his brief letter in the newspaper. One must admit that though the letter is brief, yet it is comprehensive. He has simply offered himself. According to him, his company has no money. We want Mian Nawaz Sharif to follow this example and present himself in a similar manner.”

Investigative reporter of The News, Umar Cheema, talks to Shahzeb: Shahzeb Khanzada: “Umar Cheema, it was your story. When you were doing the story, and you came across the name of the Editor-in-Chief of this group -- obviously every media personality, every journalist, I as an anchor and you as a journalist wish not to become news ourselves, that we do justice with news but do not become news ourselves -- but when you came across the name of the Editor-in-Chief, so did you contact him, and if you did contact him what response did you get, whether to mention the name or not, did the response satisfy you or not, what did you write and how did you write it? Please tell the truth to the people.”

Umar Cheema: “It was a very challenging situation. When I was searching other people, I was also curious about Shakil Sahib. When I learnt about one company, the next challenge for me was how to inform him and how to report it to others. Then I discussed the matter with Ansar Bhai. He told me that I should inform Shakil Sahib about it and ask him for his stance. Then I emailed the questions to him. He first talked to me by telephone. He heard everything I had to say. He said that I did the right thing and I was supposed to do it just as I did with other people. There was one striking difference in how he responded and how others had responded. He not only responded to my questions but also showed me documents as evidence, saying that he did indeed form the company, but the objective for which the company was formed -- maybe having a joint venture -- could not be achieved so they dissolved the company. He showed me the documents proving that neither a bank account was opened, nor any business transacted. Those documents were official documents, the ones that client service providers give. I had a very different experience. Firstly, to write to your own Editor-in-Chief; Secondly, his replying to my questions and his recognizing my right to ask those questions; and thirdly, presenting documents to verify what he was saying.

“Another thing which stood in good stead in this whole process was that when other people -- whom we had sent questions for their response -- contacted Shakil Sahib that they were being reported on, he said ‘I am also being reported on. I have responded to all the questions. You people should also respond to all the questions. I am not asking anyone not to report my name, and you should not ask anyone not to report your name either’.

“When our news was published, it contained Shakil Sahib’s name. I can say with full confidence that all those people who have been trying to blow things out of proportion now -- as if some startling disclosure has been made -- those people had read the news item then and they knew that Shakil Sahib’s name was there and that it had already been reported.”

Shahzeb Khanzada thanked Umar Cheema for talking to him on the programme, saying that people had learnt about the thing through this group’s newspapers and channel.