Shahbaz says saved $650b Chiniot Mines national assets

LAHORE: PML-N President and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif while presenting crucial testimony concerning the Chiniot Mines at the NAB court, said that the agreement done in 2007 was in violation of the law.

During the proceedings of the NAB court in the money laundering case, Shahbaz came to the rostrum, and thanked the court for issuing orders regarding his medical needs. He requested for 3 minutes to present his case because he wanted to personally present important details regarding the Chiniot Mines. He said that the contract was awarded without any bidding to an American citizen who was the brother of Pervez Musharraf’s secretary. He said that he exposed these violations, not NAB. Shahbaz said the he stood up against political and nonpolitical pressure to courageously cancel the corrupt contract which was being forcibly pushed through. He said NAB did not take any action against the minister concerned but had now filed a reference. He said that he doesn’t claim to be a saint but he surely had shed sweat and blood for the country and stopped an open attempt at robbing national treasure.

PML-N President said Arshad Waheed had 80 percent shares in the 2007 contract while the province of Punjab only had 20 percent. He said he took action against this over which Arshad moved the High Court. The High Court questioned as to how Punjab government’s assets were transferred to an individual.

He told the court that the Chiniot mineral reserves were estimated at over $4 billion. He said the current value of the reserves is $640 billion. He said work on the first phase was underway. He prayed that his actions would lead to the reserves being handed back to Punjab that would lead to annulment of its debts and an end to poverty in the province. In 2010, a court order blocked the way of massive robbery on the nation’s resources, he said.