Bashing the “unholy alliance” between the PTI and NAB, leader of the opposition Shehbaz Sharif told the National Assembly session on Wednesday that NAB told him the charges against him weren’t of corruption but that he awarded contracts to former chief of army staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani’s brother in an effort to appease him.
Shehbaz was brought to the session from NAB’s Lahore office and left soon after his speech.
He revealed that a NAB officer named Aftab said that the charge against him was awarding a Rs1.5 billion contract to Major (retd) Kamran Kayani, the brother of the former COAS.
“They said I used my political muscle to placate Gen Kayani by awarding this contract to Maj Kamran Kayani,” he told the NA session.
Relating the story of when he first met Maj Kamran, Shehbaz said that in 2008, when he took charge as Punjab chief minister, he saw that a Rs40 billion project had been awarded to Maj Kamran but he was not working on it. He tried to explain to him that he must finish the work but Maj Kamran didn’t listen, so Shehbaz said he met Gen Kayani.
I remember like it was yesterday, said Shehbaz. He said the former COAS told him that Maj Kamran was his younger brother whom he had practically raised and if Shehbaz wanted to cancel the contract he should. However, Shehbaz said he asked the COAS to give him a warning instead.
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Later, when Maj Kamran showed no improvement, he cancelled the contract. Gen Kiyani has never mentioned it to me again, said the PML-N president.
“I told NAB that if I wanted to please Gen Kayani I wouldn’t have cancelled a Rs40 billion contract and given his instead given his brother a Rs1.5 billion one,” he said.
He wasn’t ever awarded the Rs1.5 billion project, said Shehbaz.
He said after receiving complaints about it, he formed a committee under incumbent State Bank of Pakistan Governor Tariq Bajwa to investigate the matter.
According to the committee’s report, the awarding of the contract was “not strictly according to established procedures and prudence”. It would have been prudent to seek bids from all 13 prequalified bidders, read out Shehbaz.
He explained that the bidding was finalised on December 3, 2012 while the documents were handed over to the consultant on December 4. They are supposed to be given right away.
If I didn’t take action and cancel the contract, NAB would have put this all on me, he said.
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Shehbaz explained that Maj Kamran’s company ConPro was one of the bidders. Fifty-one bids went through the PLDC to the consultant while the 52nd bid, which was from ConPro, went to the consultant directly, he said. He asked how he could not take action against such a thing.
He said that as per the committee’s recommendations, he sent the matter to the anti-corruption department.
I have given my sweat and blood to this province, he said. They called me for the Saaf Pani case and arrested me in the Ashiana case, said Shehbaz.
“This isn’t tabdeeli [change], this is something else entirely,” he said.
He went on to say that NAB made some serious allegations, claiming it had evidence, about his and his children’s investments in Turkey and China. “I hit the roof,” said Shehbaz, adding that he told them to present their evidence.
If this is proven I am not worthy of sitting in this assembly for even a moment, he said.
This is a serious allegation because China and Turkey are Pakistan’s most trusted reliable friends, he said. You’re involving them in these cheap tactics, he added.
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The NAB officials then said that perhaps they were benami (without name) and someone else’s.
“Is this why NAB arrested me? Is this why they’re keeping me there?” he asked.
“I am the most passionate supporter of Pak-China friendship, the most ardent supporter of Pak-Turkey friendship and the most ardent supporter of Pak-Saudi friendship but when it comes to the matter of protecting Pakistan’s interests I will go to the last stage,” he vowed.
He added that Prime Minister Imran Khan had made the same allegation before and now NAB is parroting it. A blind person could see what’s happening, he urged.
After his request that part of his speech be made off camera was denied, Shehbaz said that NAB also accused that a Turkish company awarded a solid waste management project in 2010 in Lahore had ties to the country’s leadership. He didn’t mention the name of the person who they said has shares in this project.
The leader of the opposition also said that NAB asked him to make statements against former defence minister Khawaja Asif. I knew they did this before when they called people to make statements against me but now it has been proven, he said.
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“Through a very unholy collusion of PTI and NAB, every effort being made to NAB me and keep in me in that dingy cell and silence my voice,” he told the MNAs. “I know they will try to be harsh as possible and cruel but I say with humility and confidence that I don’t fear prison nor do I fear the atrocities and tyranny of NAB,” said Shehbaz.
He asked NA Speaker Asad Qaiser to form a house committee to investigation the allegations and supposed evidence involving China and Turkey and ask the NAB chairperson to present the evidence.
If this is proven I will leave politics forever, he said.
He said the incumbent government made three major allegations against him – that Javed Sadiq was his front man through whom he had made billions, that he had offered PM Khan Rs10 billion in the Panama case and that he had stolen money meant for the Multan metro project. He asked that a committee be formed on this too.
Law Minister Farogh Nasim said that according to Section 36 of the NAB Ordinance, they cannot form a committee to hear a suit against NAB. He also cautioned the House about speaking about sub judice matters.
“I have referred to allegations made which may cause irreparable damage to Pakistan’s relations with friendly countries,” countered Shehbaz.
https://www.samaa.tv/news/2018/10/i...o-gen-kayanis-brother-not-corruption-shehbaz/