After six years, NAB wakes up to Sharmila disqualification issue

ISLAMABAD: What the National Accountability Bureau is considering today against PPP leader Sharmila Faruqi was highlighted by this newspaper in 2010 but then the NAB preferred to push the issue under the rug.

Although today NAB is pursuing the matter of seeking Sharmila’s disqualification, there is nothing under consideration to penalise those in the NAB who in the past had avoided proceeding in the matter.

Interestingly, the NAB Karachi’s latest letter has an admission of the serious wrong done on its own part. The letter dated June 3, 2016 admits that thorough perusal of the record on both references against Sharmila Faruqi and others revealed that letters of intimation regarding these individuals’ plea bargains and their consequent conviction were not issued to the Election Commission of Pakistan or any other government agency/department.

The letter though insists that the issue was not raised on previous occasions, sources in the NAB said that after the publication of the story in The News on May 12, 2010 regarding Sharmila Faruqi’s disqualification from holding any public office, the NAB Karachi wanted to proceed but it was asked to ignore the matter.

Presently the NAB Karachi has approached the Bureau’s Headquarters in Islamabad seeking the latter’s permission to proceed in the matter. Sharmila Farooqi has been declared ineligible to hold any government office or designation because of her conviction and plea bargain settlement with NAB in corruption cases.

However, since 2008-09 she has been holding public offices in Sindh and according to the NAB letter without any action by the NAB, the Election Commission of Pakistan or any other authority.

While the NAB has now woken up to proceed in this matter, The News highlighted the issue in 2010 but it had fallen on the deaf ears of NAB, the ECP and other federal and provincial authorities.

The News story had revealed that Sharmila was disqualified from holding any public office in 2001 under the NAB law for 21 years, but she still made her way into the provincial cabinet in 2008 and continues till now.

Sharmila, along with her father Usman Farooqui, a former Pakistan Steel Mills Chairman, and mother Anisa Farooqui, had entered into a plea bargain with the NAB in 2001. They were disqualified from holding any public office for 21 years.

A judgment dated 28-4-2001 of the Accountability Court No IV, Karachi at para No 49 read: “The upshot of my above discussions is that the plea of barraging (sic-plea bargain) of the accused persons under Section 25(a) NAB Ordinance, 1999, duly accepted by the Chairman, NAB is hereby approved and the application of the prosecution for withdrawal of the reference is allowed.” 

It added, “Consequently, all the three accused are hereby released. However, all the three accused stand disqualified for being elected and appointed or nominated as a member or servant of any public office or any statutory or local authority of the Government of Pakistan they shall not be allowed to avail any financial facility in the form of any loan or advances from any bank or financial institutions owned or controlled by the government for a period described under Section 15 NAB Ordinance, 1999.”