In a meeting with party office-bearers and workers here on Friday, the PML-Q chief said Malik Riaz was privy to many secrets behind the rise and fallof governments and their disclosure was liable to expose many so-called credible personalities. He said that his family’s close ties with Malik Riaz existed for long.

Shujaat said although there were people richer than Malik Riaz, they were not inclined to spend money on others. He said the “begmaat” (wives) of the rich and the powerful let the food rot in their refrigerators and later have it thrown out instead of giving it to their servants.

Recounting the services of Malik Riaz, the PML-Q chief cited his help in billions of rupees for the relief and rehabilitation of the 2005 earthquake and 2010 flood victims, his benevolent help to countless deserving individuals and charitable organisations and his Bahria Dastarkhwan initiative where innumerable hungry and poor were being fed daily throughout the country. He also referred to Malik Riaz’s noble gesture of paying Rs130 million as ransom money for the release of Pakistanis captured by the Somali pirates.

Shujaat said that at his personal request, Malik Riaz had paid for the treatment of many poor and deserving cancer and heart patients. Calling Malik Riaz a self-made man, he said that being successful through sheer hard work was not a crime.

Commenting on his business credibility, Shujaat said that he was personally aware of the overwhelming public interest in Malik Riaz’s housing projects and said that a few months back, police had to be called in to control thousands of buyers gathered at the Bahria Town Islamabad office for the purchase of forms.