-Asad, Fawad, Shibli, Shahzad included in committee
-Shahzad says deals, NROs cost national exchequer
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Monday decided to launch a probe into the Broadsheet LLC scandal, days after the matter came to light. The federal cabinet, under Prime Minister Imran Khan’s chairmanship, formed a four-membered committee comprising the Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, Minister for Information Shibli Faraz, Adviser to PM on Interior and Accountability Shahzad Akbar, and Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry.
The committee has been given the task to review Pakistan’s agreement with Broadsheet LCC for the period 2002-2018.
“An investigation will be launched to find out who took advantage of the deal,” the cabinet’s decisions said.
Meanwhile, speaking about the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the prime minister said that the “Opposition’s alliance would be allowed to hold their protest.”
He, however, warned the PDM and said that the law would come into action if the 11-party alliance attempts to move against it.
Regarding the matter of religious parties holding sit-ins and protests, the cabinet
decided to consult the ulema. “This is a sensitive issue. We will take the ulema into confidence over this matter,” the prime minister added.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akber said on Monday that deals made by previous governments and national reconciliation ordinances (NROs) issued in the past had badly affected the country and cost the national exchequer.
Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, the adviser said that the Broadsheet case was being debated widely across the country.
He said that because of the debate, the government had decided to make public the judgment of a British court regarding Broadsheet and Pakistan involving liability and quantum awards.
He added that the documents were being made public after written approval was obtained from Broadsheet’s lawyers. Akbar said they had approached Broadsheet to make the judgment clear on the instructions of the prime minister to ensure transparency.
“The prime minister has formed a ministerial committee on Broadsheet and directed them to furnish its recommendations within 48 hours,” said the adviser, adding that the government’s next course of action will be decided in the light of those recommendations.
The adviser said that the 2007 NRO has been mentioned in the verdict, adding that it has said that the “stolen money’s” value was calculated to be Rs16 million.
Akbar also urged people to “respect the constitutional institutions” and lauded the National Accountability Bureau for its performance. “Recoveries made by the anti-graft watchdog over the last two years are a clear proof of improvement in its working,” claimed the adviser.
Pakistan pays Rs4.59 bn to British firm for lost case: Pakistan made a payment of $28.706 million (Rs4.59 billion) to the British firm Broadsheet LLC after losing the long-running litigation at the London High Court.
The amount was transferred from the PHC on behalf of the NAB to the assets recovery firm 21 years after it was hired to trace alleged foreign assets of dozens of Pakistanis which it failed to find any.
