96 pc JIT report based on my information, says Rehman Malik

ISLAMABAD: Former interior minister Rehman Malik said on Friday that 96 percent of the Joint Investigation Report (JIT) report was based on information he had given to the probe body.

He also expressed his displeasure over the JIT’s remarks about him. He said despite declaring his reports as authentic and accepting it as reliable documents while making it a part of its final report, the JIT had remained unkind to call him as ‘unreliable”.

“It is astonishing and shocking that my report is authentic, but I as a person is not reliable, doesn’t know why the JIT used these words,” he said this while addressing a press conference here on Friday.

Senator Rehman Malik said that the main reason for delaying this press conference was to wait for the completion of JIT proceedings in the Supreme Court; otherwise, he should have done it just after the release of the JIT report in which some derogatory remarks were passed against him. “However now the verdict on Panama case was reserved by the Supreme Court, I have the right to clarify my position,” he added. He said the JIT, in its final report, stated: “Senator Rehman Malik’s report contains authentic record/evidence, which has been corroborated by banking record.” However, the JIT has remained unkind to call me as unreliable, he said.

He said that the purpose of today’s interaction with the media did not intend to criticise the JIT but to prove before the people of Pakistan whatever he had shared with JIT was correct, and it was wrong to say that he inclined to save Nawaz Sharif and his family by hiding any information/documents.

“I have always owned my report, I am responsible for its each word and I am always proud of it,” added Rehman Malik. He said the JIT, in its report, stated that he did not give any additional documents wherein he provided 15 additional documents to the JIT on the day of his appearance.

He said the JIT stated, “Senator A Rehman Malik gave them two additional documents, but he has no objection if the JIT has shrunk his 15 additional documents into two. If anyone has any doubt about my statement, I request the JIT to make my recorded statement public,” Rehman Malik demanded.

He said that people across the world knew about his investigation and even the BBC had made a documentary over his investigation in which he had briefed the BBC team from the charts he provided to the JIT and also part of ‘Rehman Malik Report’. He said the final chart of the JIT was absolutely based on his report.

Senator Rehman Malik said that he gave the JIT information about fake bank accounts, dollar bearer certificates, foreign exchange bearer certificates, transaction of total amount, date of opening of bank account and also the electronic copies.

He said the JIT remained unkind by stating, “He (Rehman Malik) prima pacie lied that he handed over a document to Lt Gen (R) Syed Amjad, NAB ex-chairman, containing information that Shamrock Consulting Cooperation was registered c/o Ansbacher when asked.” He said he had handed over the Council Tax receipt to Lt Gen (R) Syed Amjad which he had not declined clearly in his statement before the JIT. “Even if Lt Gen (R) Syed Amjad has declined, how the JIT is declaring his statement as true and my claim as untrue despite the fact that I not only owned my report containing very authentic evidence/report but also shared additional documents with the JIT which I am making public today.”

Senator Rehman Malik read Lt Gen (R) Syed Amjad’s statement from the JIT report when he was asked if he had received any document from Senator Rehman Malik, Lt Gen (R) Syed Amjad replied as “No, not to me personally but as I have said, he could have handed over to somebody else in NAB”. Senator Rehman Malik said that the statement of Lt Gen (R) Syed Amjad clearly showed that he was not declining it.

He said that he was astonished to read Lt Gen (R) Syed Amjad’s statement wherein he states, “It was during my visit to Qazi’s House, I met Rehman Malik, who was already present there, and it was purely coincidence or the Qazi family may have asked him to be there.” Terming it a blatant lie Rehman Malik said that he never met Lt Gen (R) Syed Amjad at Qazi’s residence but as a matter of fact he met Lt Gen (R) Syed Amjad Ali in a hotel near Heathrow Airport, London.

He dispelled the allegations that he had supported the Sharif family but helped the JIT by giving it copies of important documents and even the copies of affidavits, he added.

Rehman Malik said that it was astonishing and shocking that his report was authentic, but he as a person was not reliable. “I don’t know why the JIT used these words,” he said. However, he highly appreciated the JIT work as consolidating a report of 10 volumes in only 60 days was really a challenging task, he said.

He stated when he was interior minister, he referred the case to NAB to take action but in vain.

Rehman Malik said he didn’t appear before the JIT to get a character certificate but to testify his report/investigation which he did. “On the basis of General (R) Syed Amjad Ali’s statement how the JIT could state that “I lied”, he questioned.