NAB under new chairman targets politicians, ignores Musharraf

ISLAMABAD: NAB, under its newly-appointed Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal, has started focusing on alleged corruption of politicians from different political parties while ignoring the wrongs of Musharraf and his tenure.

Alleged corruption of senior politicians from PML-N, PPP, PTI, PML-Q, etc, is being probed and prosecuted by NAB, which has failed to see how Musharraf had misused his power to protect corrupt during his tenure. Musharraf’s billions are also missed by the eyes of the Bureau.

During the last several years, NAB continues to overlook how General Pervez Musharraf had illegally doled out over 10,000 kanals of military land (meant for martyred families) as political bribe to his blue-eyed. The files of these cases are eating dust in the NAB office.

From 2005 Stock Exchange swindle to the Pakistan Steels Mills privatisation, 2006 sugar scam to the financial bungling in multi-billion rupee clean drinking water project, alleged kickbacks in defence procurement, including PAF surveillance aircraft deal to the doling out of military land to political leaders and his (Musharraf’s) personal staff, massive corruption in the 2005 earthquake funds to ghost pension scandal, controversial sale of Pakistan’s property in Jakarta to unconstitutional appointments made by the dictator, almost everything is overlooked by NAB.

While politicians are being probed for their alleged assets beyond known means, NAB did not dare ask General Musharraf how he made assets, both within the country and outside worth billions of rupees. The former dictator has never been questioned while NAB has been quick to make references about key political leaders’ assets.

NAB in its 2015 report on case of mega corruption had informed the SC about several mega land scams but there was no mention of former dictator General Pervez Musharraf, who had doled out over 10,000 kanals of military land meant for war veterans and families of martyred soldiers to frontmen of some of his political opponents, non-entitled armymen and dozens of civilian officials, including his cook, barber, butler, gunmen and other members of his personal staff.

This huge chunk of military land in the Punjab and KPK provinces was allotted to non-entitled civilians and soldiers by the GHQ following orders from the then General Pervez Musharraf. Over two dozen staff members and officials attached with Musharraf during his stay in Presidency were also allotted hundreds of kanals of military land.

In case of the allotment of 6,700 kanals of military land in the Punjab to 47 civilian officials of the provincial government during Musharraf’s rule, a reference was made to the military authorities by the Shahbaz Sharif government to cancel the anomalous transfer.

With regard to the land given to non-military personnel, including frontmen of a few politicians in Dera Ismail Khan during the Musharraf regime, it was admitted by the military spokesman several years back that the allotments had no legal sanction but despite this flagrant illegality committed by the military dictator and former president, no case was made against him.

In Punjab, 47 civilian officials (mostly belonging to the Revenue Department) were allotted 6,700 kanals of military land during Musharraf’s regime. Most of these officials were made OSD by the Shahbaz Sharif government during his last term. The Punjab government had also formally approached the military authorities to get the controversial allocations cancelled.

The Punjab government was of the view that the civilian beneficiaries had been rewarded for going beyond the call of duty in facilitating the entire process.

Similarly, no criminal action was taken against a gang of well-connected players of the 2005 Stock Exchange scam which, according to the conclusions of an official committee, had swallowed $13 billion of ordinary shareholders and middlemen during Musharraf's tenure. It was alleged that some 80 beneficiaries, mostly close associates of Musharraf and his cronies, had multiplied their fortunes by manipulating the scam. However, they were neither probed nor arrested to get back from them the plundered billions.

In another case, the Musharraf government had launched a countrywide project called the Clean Drinking Water Scheme with the promise that one clean drinking water plant would be installed in every union council across the country till December 2007. Initially, it was Rs7.7 billion project but was later raised to Rs16 billion.Similarly, a Rs3.6 billion Tawana Pakistan project, providing school nutrition package to girls in 29 districts of the country, went down the drain because of the involvement of a blue-eyed minister of Musharraf, but NAB was never allowed to question the minister.

The Pakistan Steel Mills privatisation, which was abandoned by the government following the Supreme Court’s order, was a case of serious charge-sheet against Musharraf and his close associates, who had almost sold this national asset to their close friends for peanuts. As per the Supreme Court’s judgment, the privatisation process was defrauded, but no action was taken against anyone.

In 2006, NAB under Lt-Gen (retd) Shahid Aziz wanted to probe the sugar scam, involving some ministers of the Musharraf regime, but in this case, too, the bureau was stopped from probing the matter.

Corruption worth hundreds of millions of rupees was detected in the money allocated for the reconstruction work and rehabilitation of the 2005 earthquake victims. Massive corruption in these funds was reported to NAB and also detected by NAB’s Frontier office, but in this case, too, the bureau was asked to stay away.

In 2002, a senior foreign office diplomat, stationed in Jakarta, reported to Islamabad of the alleged kickbacks received in the sale of Pakistani mission’s property in Indonesia at throwaway prices. As a result, the diplomat, minister at the Jakarta mission, was called back, suspended and never restored till his retirement in 2007-08. 

During the Musharraf tenure, the oil mafia was alleged of causing colossal financial losses to the national economy with the connivance of some top players of the regime. NAB under Musharraf was told of their maneuvering of oil prices to the advantage of refineries and oil marketing companies, but the bureau was not allowed to cross the limits.