Says will request court to hear his case on daily basis; he, his children to quit politics forever if any allegations proved; Javed Sadiq rejects charges; reveals CAA awarded Islamabad airport terminal project after competitive bidding during PPP govt; got Software Tech Park contract in international bidding under Elahi’s rule; speaks in Geo programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has announced filing a Rs26.54 billion defamation suit against PTI Chairman Imran Khan for leveling what he termed “baseless allegations of corruption” against him.
Addressing a hurriedly-called press conference at his camp office here on Wednesday evening, the CM rebuffed the claims of Imran in which he accused him of indulging in corruption through his frontman Javed Sadiq. Shahbaz said he was not asking the PTI chairman to prove his allegations in court. “No, I am going to court against him. Let it be decided for all times to come…forever,” he remarked.
He said he would send a mandatory 14-day legal notice to Imran after which he would take the PTI chairman to court. “I would appeal to the honourable court to hear this case on a daily basis to decide its fate at the earliest.
“Whether a reply comes or not, I will approach the court. If the allegations are proved against me, I and my children will quit politics forever,” he said and added if the court proved the PTI chief wrong, the nation would decide his fate.
“This is a big lie that Javed Sadiq is my frontman,” he said, adding that he met many people daily, including investors and businessmen from Europe and China for the sake of Pakistan.Shahbaz said Javed Sadiq had entered into bidding for Punjab government projects through a Chinese company, but he didn’t get even a single contract during his tenure. “Had he been my frontman, wouldn’t he have got all these contracts?” the CM questioned. He said the IT Tower contract had been awarded by former CM Pervaiz Elahi and the contract of the Islamabad airport by the PPP government. “These people should be asked about the contracts.”
Shahbaz said the PTI chairman had levelled allegations of corruption against him in the past as well regarding the Metro Bus project, saying that Rs70 billion had been spent on the project, but he couldn’t prove his allegation till now.
Commenting on the upcoming PTI sit-in, he said such politics was against the poverty-ridden country. He said Pakistan was on the path to development through the Chinese investment under the head of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), but some elements were afraid of these positive developments taking place in Pakistan. He said the PTI didn’t want to lock down Islamabad through a nefarious design but wanted to lock down the economic wheel and prosperity of the country. “Those who don’t want the country to prosper have made a wicked plan to close down Pakistan on November 2.”
Shahbaz said the Supreme Court had already taken up the Panama Leaks case and the prime minister had presented himself before the court. Then why such sit-ins are taking place. “In fact, the PTI knows that it will face a heavy defeat in the general elections of 2018. That’s why they are doing negative politics,” the CM said, adding that it was shameful that the PTI had surpassed Indian Prime Minister Modi in criticising the historic CPEC project.
He said enough damage had already been done to the CPEC by the previous PTI dharna and such politics should end now. He said China was an all-weather friend of Pakistan and its $50 billion investment in the country shouldn’t be halted at any cost. “What will they lose by opposing the CPEC? He is ‘Brown Sahib’, but the people will suffer,” he said.
He said that from now onwards, he would not respond to any of Imran’s lies, adding that the one who got a Rs500 million loan written off claimed to have paid Rs30 million tax. The other person standing alongside the PTI chairman was land mafia.
He said Pildat, in a recent survey, had appreciated the Punjab government’s governance. “There was also an allegation that we are using the Ittefaq Foundry’s iron rods in development projects, but people don’t know that the Ittefaq Foundry was closed for 15 years.” The CM quoted a number of his government projects and claimed that billions of rupees had been saved through transparency.
He, however, didn’t respond to a question whether the PTI sit-in had any link with the appointment of a new army chief or extension to the incumbent.
APP adds from Islamabad: The Executive Director of China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) Javed Sadiq on Wednesday said Imran Khan has been misled and has been fed wrong facts about him (Sadiq) and his companies.
In a statement issued here, he said Imran is spreading false and fabricated stories.
Javed Sadiq said Imran Khan talked about four projects. He said the Islamabad airport terminal building project was awarded to his company after competitive bidding by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) during the PPP government. He said ‘we were the lowest bidder and our prices were four billion rupees less than the next bidder. It was an international bidding and the project is about to be completed this year.’
He said the second project was the Software Technology Park in Lahore and that project was awarded to his company in international bidding. Being the company which gave the lowest bid, the project was given during the days of Pervaiz Elahi, who was the then chief minister of Punjab.
The third project is the Multan-Sukkur Motorway Project, which is a China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and is being funded by the Chinese government, Sadiq said adding “My company was nominated by the Chinese government along with two other companies.”
The National Highway Authority (NHA) had called the tenders and among three companies China Construction was the lowest bidder and the project had been awarded to it on that basis in December 2015.
The fourth project is the Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park and it is an investment project by a Chinese company Zonergy. “For this project, we had based our financial feasibility on award of 900 megawatts.”
Javed Sadiq said NEPRA gave his company the tariff for the first 300 megawatts. The project has been installed and commissioned and is now supplying electricity to the national grid. For the remaining 600 megawatts, he said “We have been treated unfairly and we have not been awarded the tariff for the project for which investment agreement had been signed in the presence of Chinese president and Pakistani prime minister.”
He said “We have taken the Government of Pakistan to court and Islamabad High Court gave a decision in our favour and referred the case back to NEPRA for hearing.”
He added: It is purely an investment project and unfortunately we did not get the support of the Government of Pakistan as we have expected for this CPEC project.
The China State Construction Engineering Corporation is a state-owned company and is the largest company of the world according to the ENR report 2016. This company was ranked 27th among the global 500 fortune companies.
Javed Sadiq said as the executive director of China State Construction Engineering Corporation, it was his responsibility to develop the business of this Chinese corporation in Pakistan. “I would request that the Chinese companies and CPEC should not be maligned without ascertaining the facts.” He said the figures quoted by Imran Khan were baseless and he completely denies them.
Javed Sadiq is working as a businessman since 1998 and was a ZTE shareholder and instrumental in bringing foreign investment to Pakistan. He requested the media not to present misleading facts rather highlight the actual position. “I hereby reserve my legal rights to take action against anyone spreading false and fabricated stories in this regard,” he concluded. —APP
Monitoring Desk adds: Speaking in Geo News programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath”, Javed Sadiq told Khanzada that whatever projects he quoted for the CSCEC, Shahbaz refused them. He said he participated in the Lahore Ring Road project bidding, but Shahbaz disqualified his bidding and awarded the project to the Frontier Works Organisation.
To Khanzada’s incisive questions quoting various figures in different projects with reference to the allegations levelled by Imran Khan, Javed explained in depth the points clarified in his press statement, stating, “When I said I am speaking as an executive director of the China State Construction Engineering Corporation which is the largest construction company of the world.”
Javed Sadiq said that the CSCEC was pleased at his performance as management and marketing consultant, and when it returned to Pakistan, they (CSCEC) made him executive director and also gave him shares.
To Khanzada’s question that what was his (Javed’s) stake in the company and as director, what was his profit margin, Javed said he hoped to get handsome money when the project that has just begun completed.
To another question that was he (Javed) raedy for an independent audit of all this issue, Javed said: “Absolutely.” He said that whatever money or management fee he gets from the company is received officially, which is taxed. He said he was open to all questions. “I will be very happy ... to clarify my position, and I request you....”