JIT report levels serious charges against Dr Asim

PPP sources question why people named in the report not made part of probe

ISLAMABAD: Former president and PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari is also being implicated along with Dr Asim Hussain in criminal activities in the Joint Interrogation Team (JIT) report which, in addition to allegation of facilitating the terrorists, gives complete details of illegally acquired plots and the agreements signed with more than three dozen foreign companies during previous PPP regime or afterwards.

Sindh government’s CTD as well as representative of special branch of Sindh Police placed Dr Asim Hussain in ‘Black’ category while the representatives from Rangers, Rangers intelligence, MI and ISI also held the same opinion. The JIT formed by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), district South, Karachi regarding Dr Asim Hussain also held the same opinion. The JIT report’s copy is available with The News and the inquiry was ordered by Sindh Home Department vide notification No SO (LE-I)/3-17/2015 dated November 5, 2015.

PPP sources, on the condition of not being named, asserted that allegations levelled in the JIT report are wrong as was the case with accusations levelled in the past. They said all the past allegations were proved wrong with the passage of time. They said why the people belonging to PPP and MQM named in the JIT report were not made part of the investigations. Particularly, they said, Mirza was named in the report. Why he was not arrested and probed, he asked. The people named in the JIT report should be asked to give proofs of allegations levelled against Zardari and Dr Asim.

The part of JIT under heading ‘Criminal history/close relationship and Illegal Treatment/MQM-A leaders and Target Killer” concludes under para;

“It was also revealed that on the instructions of Asif Ali Zardari, leaders of PPP like Zulfiqar Mirza, Muzzafar Tapi and later Qadir Patel used to look after the issues of groups of Lyari gang war i.e. Uzair Baluch/Baba Ladla groups including illegal weapons supply to these groups. These groups were involved in extortion, encroachments in old city areas and target killings. These leaders were also involved in managing the armed clashes between Lyari gang war and MQM target killers.”

The part of JIT regarding illegal land allotments is very strong and gives complete information about all such lands and plots. Relevant part reads; “The accused was allotted amenity plot of KDA by the then minister of housing and town planning, for the trust’s charity activities but he used that plot as commercial commodity which is deviation of the purpose.

- He was allotted plot No ST-4 measuring 2.8 acres in block-6, scheme-5, Clifton Karachi which is utilised for commercial purposes instead of charity.

- He was allotted plot No ST-8/B/1 measuring 908 sq yards and ST-8/B/2 measuring 1347 sq yards, Block-F Cancer Hospital, North Nazimabad on similar lines.

- In 1994, the then Sindh chief minister placed a ban on fresh allotment in KDA but as an alternate to bypass the system in connivance with the then minister housing and town planning and officials of KDA, he got the allotment first on temporary basis and later on allotted that land as continuous of previous allotment against the rules.

- He obtained plot E-40/1 in North Nazimabad, for charity purposes but he manipulated to possess and build a nursing school for commercial purposes.

- The topographical survey conducted by Survey and Settlement Department, Govt of Sindh established that the accused had illegally encroached 4 acres of land worth Rs200 million.

- Accused encroached 4 acres excess land which was meant for amenity purposes in Clifton and North Nazimabad both.“

Next part JIT details some illegal money transactions including 207 cash transaction reports (CTR) and one suspicious transaction report (STR) reported by banks and Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) and also gives complete and comprehensive details of more than three dozen foreign companies for which as per list of tie ups-NBP, agreement signed off dates fall during last a few years of PPP regime. JIT also alleges Dr Asim of laundering of proceeds of crime (kick-backs & commission) from 2008 to 2012 abroad & within Pakistan. Following are details of companies, their country, and agreement sign off dates; 1- Dollarco Exchange, Kuwait, May 18, 2006, 2- Kuwait Asian Intl Exchange Co, Kuwait, August 3, 2005, 3- Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Company, Kuwait, September 13, 2009, 4- Oman Exchange Company, Kuwait, March 5, 1980, 5- Al Mouzaini Exchange, Kuwait, December 31, 2014, 6- Oman & UAE Exchange, Oman, April 10, 2009, 7- Hamadan Exchange, Oman, June 18, 2014, 8- Doha Bank, Qatar, January 27, 2014, 9- Merchantrade Asia, Malaysia, Feb 27, 2012, 10- Al Ansari Exchange, UAE, Feb 10, 2010, 11- Al Falah Exchange, UAE, Sep 5, 2005, 12- Al Ghurair Exchange, UAE, Sep 20, 2010, 13- Al Rostamani Exchange, UAE, Oct 1, 2011, 14- Habib Exchange Co LLC, UAE, Nov 12, 2007, 15- Orient Exchange, UAE, May 3, 2011, 16- Sharaf Exchange, UAE, Feb 20, 2013, 17- UAE Exchange, UAE, Nov 1, 2007, 18- Universal Exchange, UAE, August 1, 2011, 19- National Exchange Company, UAE, 20- Belhasa Global Exchange, UAE, Feb 20, 2015, 21- AN Express, UK, Dec 11, 2009, 22- Dollar West Ltd, UK, December 2, 2009, 23- Arab National Bank (ANB), KSA, Sep 23, 2007, 24- Bank Al-Bilad, KSA, April 21, 2010, 25- National Commercial Bank (NCB), KSA, July 20, 2010, 26- Samba Financial Group, KSA, Aug 1, 2011, 27- Al Amoudi Exchange, KSA, March 10, 2011, 28- Al Raihi Banking, KSA, October 3, 2010, 29- Bank Aliazira, KSA, 30- Placid NK Corporation, USA, Dec 3, 2012, 31- Ezremit Limited, Global, Sept 1, 2011, 32- Transfast, Global, 33- IME (M) SON BHD, Global, Nov 15, 2013, 34- Express Money Limited, Global, Nov 28, 2010, 35- RIA Financial Service Limited, Global, Jan 16, 2012, 36- Western Union, Global.

For his tenure as federal minister, the JIT alleged Dr Asim of illegally appointing approx 250 persons in PSO and SSGC, illegal gas connection to Ziauddin Hospital, illegal appointment of Zuhair Ahmed Siddiqui for getting illegal benefits, appointing his brother-in-law Khalid Bin Shaheen in NBP as group chief of home remittances who himself was facing charges of illegal transactions to UAE and approximately Rs291 billion were paid in unauthorised payments under the head of price differential claims in PSO. JIT also found out that soon after Abraaj Group took over the KESC in 2008/2009, Dr Asim pressurised the management of SSGC to allow KESC (now K-Electric) to enjoy full liberty and KESC was then involved in gas theft and causing loses of billions of rupees to national exchequer (up to Rs62 billion as receivables of SSGC). According to JIT, Dr Asim also refused in totality to record LPS of SSGC in its books right from 2010 to date (Approx Rs31 billion). The JIT also found out that Dr Asim was involved in many malpractices in PMDC and registered various medical colleges against the procedure and by taking kick-backs. It is important to mention here that there were only 28 medical and dental colleges in government and private sector established in Pakistan history before Dr Asim took over PMDC and when he left there were 127 medical and dental colleges in the country in merely five years time, something which has almost destroyed standard of medical education in Pakistan which once was considered as one of the best in the world.

According to JIT, the personal assistant Mr Hasnain (of Dr Asim) confirmed that in addition to his first marriage in 1979, Dr Asim also married one Dr Aisha in Islamabad. According to JIT, evidences of treatment of target killers belonging to MQM and some religious terrorist groups in Dr Asim’s hospitals are present and are very strong. The JIT says that Dr Asim has admitted his cordial relations with top MQM leaders which according to JIT, supported their target killers. According to JIT, these leaders included Altaf Hussain (33 FIRs), Farooq Sattar (15 FIRs), Haider Abbas Rizvi (3 FIRs), Nadeem Nusrat (1 FIR), Rauf Siddiqui (3 FIRs), Waseem Akhtar (4 FIRs), Muhammad Anwar, Mustafa Azizabadi, Saleem Shehzad, Anees Qaimkhani.