Former ETPB head terms Interpol warrant against him ‘illegal’

LONDON: Former head of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Asif Hashmi has said that the red warrants against him issued through Interpol are in violation of Pakistani laws and must be scrapped.
Speaking to Geo News here, the former ETPB head, who has been linked with Pakistan People’s Party for decades, said he has no intention to claim asylum in the United Kingdom but has no return plans to return to Pakistan unless “fake cases” against him are withdrawn.
Syed Asif Hashmi has been accused of causing a huge loss to Pakistan’s national exchequer by selling board’s land to the Defence Housing Authority, Lahore in violation of rules, but Hashmi insists that he has not done anything wrong and his job was only to “recommend” while it was duty of the government to either approve or drop his recommendations and he didn’t have any say in that. Hashmi claimed that the new chairman of the ETPB and PML-N leader Siddiq-ul-Farooq was behind campaign against him despite knowing the facts well.
Hashmi told that he had suspended “a few corrupt officials” who then turned against him and are running a campaign against him. He said that the Lahore High Court had directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to withdraw red warrants in “fake cases of alleged corruption and misuse of authority” but the government was not following the rules.
“The FIA issued arrest warrants against me in a case in which I have already been cleared. The trial court didn’t issue any warrants. I want Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar to look into this case and see how laws have been flouted. When Nisar was chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, audits of our office were done showing that I had done nothing wrong. There was no loss to ETPB under me, rather we made it profitable. I was a private member. All other members have been cleared but I remain subject to inquiry because I was away and unable to attend the court when other fellows appeared before the court,” he said. Hashmi made it clear he will not return to Pakistan in “these circumstances when vindictive action against me are underway at the behest of my successor who wants me arrested at all costs”.
Hashmi alleged that the NAB officials have approached several people pressuring them to “sign papers against me”. He added: “This shows bias and violation of the laws. I will soon approach High Court against all these actions. I plan to clear my name and once this is done I am provided justice then I will return to Pakistan.”