By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Rawalpindi has summoned Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on February 13 (Thursday) in the fake bank account scam with regard to Joint Venture Opel-225 case.
According to sources, the NAB has summoned Bilawal Bhutto Zardari being a director of Zardari Group and also asked him to bring record of the Zardari Group from 2008 to 2019 on February 13.
The sources said that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was summoned to record hisstatement with regard to alleged transfer of over Rs1 billion from the accounts of JV Opel-225. It was fourth time that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was summoned by the NAB in the same case for recording his statement.
He appeared before the NAB investigation team probing the fake bank accounts scam and previously he was summoned on December 24, 2019 but he did not appear as he had sought fresh dates.
JV Opal was set up in 2011 and had its office on a property in Karachi owned by the Zardari Group. From 2011 to 2013, the company did not generate any revenue, yet it purchased major assets, agriculture lands, commercial and residential properties in Islamabad and Karachi, according to a joint investigation team (JIT) report.
The only amount it received, during this period, was of Rs1.2 billion from its business partner, a real estate firm, which, according to the JIT report, was not due to the Zardari Group.
While the Pakistan People’s Party termed the NAB notice of summon to PPP chairman a government ongoing campaign against its political opponents and also a government reaction to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s announcement of calling protest in March against price hike in the country.
“The NAB notice to PPP chairman is a reaction to his call for protest in March against the government as whenever Bilawal Bhutto Zardari announced any protest, the NAB came into action with sending notices,” said Parliamentary Leader of the PPP in the Senate Senator Sherry Rehman while commenting on the NAB notice to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Senator Sherry Rehman said the NAB’s strings were in the hands of the government and whenever the government comes under pressure, it pulls the strings and the NAB comes into action.
Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, in a series of tweets, questioned the NAB for sending the notice to the PPP chairman as she commented, “Just wondering when the actual criminals, absconders and corrupt people will be held accountable.”
Through another tweet on her twitter accounts, Bakhtawar stated in response to his consistence stand against price hike and increasing poverty, the PTI’s strongmen NAB conveniently summons Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yet again. “The NAB somehow still holds authority above courts and elected representatives,” she tweeted.
She questioned through tweet, “What is our puppet prime minister worried about? His abysmal performance? The addition of 18 million people into poverty? Loss of Kashmir ”Ehsanullah Ehsan’s miraculous escape from custody? No, it’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.”
Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said whenever he raises his voice against the government, he is sent a notice by the NAB.
“The people now have begun to realise that NAB is PTI's tool for political victimisation. If NAB is an impartial institution, how it is investigating a one-year-old child and if NAB is impartial, it should probe the people in the government who have created a crisis of wheat,” he said this while talking to the newsmen at the Parliament House on Monday when his comments were sought on receiving the summon notice to him.
PPP chairman said that the NAB should investigate BRT project and those involved in Panama Papers and the friends of the prime minister.
He said that Supreme Court has declared him innocent. “We will fight for the economic rights of the people of Pakistan despite notices by the NAB,” he said.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said PPP will continue its struggle against PTI-IMF government and its economic policies.
He said the terrorists, like Ehsanullah Eshan, were allowed to escape. “Whether the investigation institutions, jails and prisons were only for the peaceful and democratic young and political workers and old politicians,” he said.
He said that he will give his stance on Ehsanullah Ehsan in his speech in the National Assembly. The escape of Ehsanullah Ehsan is a proof of the government's incapability and failure,” he said.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Imran Khan and other political parties in the past did not support PPP's stance against terrorism and extremism. “How a person responsible for APS tragedy and attack on Malala Yousafzai fled the country, he asked and questioned if the government could imprison a former president in Adiala jail, why it cannot keep Ehsanullah Ehsan there.
He questioned why no JTI was formed for the APS tragedy. The affected people of the tragedy are still demanding a judicial commission. “How can we tell the international community that we are combating terrorism when the biggest terrorist of the country has fled,” he questioned.
In reply to a question, Bilawal voiced in support for the permission to Maryam Nawaz Sharif to see her ailing father in London saying that she should be allowed to visit her father.
He said that he hopes that Maryam Nawaz is fulfilling the demands of her political position. He said that the focus of Maryam Nawaz Sharif at the moment is the health of her father. This is a violation of human rights that she is not being allowed to meet her father. He demanded of the government to allow Maryam Nawaz to go to her father. Asked about the silence of Maryam Nawaz, the PPP chairman said this question should be asked from Maryam Nawaz.
In reply to a question, the PPP chairman said the democratic struggle against the “PTI-IMF” budget will continue. He said that he is not afraid of the notices as their struggle will continue. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that from day one PPP was against the connivance of government and the IMF.
He said the failed and incapable government has made an agreement with the IMF, which is against the people of Pakistan. “The government will have to review the deal with IMF,” he said.
The PPP chairman said that Parliament was misused once again and opposition is not being allowed to have a discussion on the PMDC bill.
He said that the PMDC ordinance was forcibly extended today and Parliament was wounded. “If the government wants to use executive powers and forcibly makes laws, Parliament should be shut down. Every political party should have the opportunity to present its stand in Parliament,” he said.
He said the opposition wanted to convey why young students are opposing the PMDC ordinance. “The ordinance is against the interest of the doctors and medical students are worried about this ordinance and they want to become the voice of the students,” he said adding that the country is hurt and institutions are weakened by such ordinances.
He demanded that a National Assembly session should be summoned to discuss the economic situation of the country and tomorrow, we will talk on the issue in Parliament but just one day's discussion will not solve the problem. “We think that the duration of the session should be extended to discuss the economic situation of the country,” he said.
To a question with regard to transfer of Sindh IGP, the PPP chairman said that 18th Constitutional Amendment is being violated on the issue. “The federation is contaminating administration's role for establishing law and order in the province,” he said.
He said the PPP had improved law and order in Sindh but because of the federal government, the law and order situation worsening. He asked how the problems will be solved by this attitude of the federal government.
