Spokesman rejects Broadsheet diatribe against Aftab Sherpao

PESHAWAR: A spokesman for Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, Chairman Qaumi Watan Party, on Thursday rejected the statements of Broadsheet LLC and its owner Kaveh Moussavi against the QWP leader, saying that these were aimed at defaming him.

“Recently certain false and misleading statements have been reported in the press by Broadsheet LLC and its owner Kaveh Moussavi against Aftab Sherpao amongst others,” the spokesman said in a statement.

He said that Sherpao strongly denied and rejected these statements that were aimed at deliberately twisting the facts and defaming the QWP leader. “Broadsheet LLC is a dubious organization that, due to its questionable financial arrangements and claims against NAB, has been running a malicious campaign against Pakistan,” the spokesman added.

The press release said that instead of countering the malicious campaign against the country, the government was attempting to use these statements against Aftab Sherpao, who was a prominent leader of the Pakistan Democratic Movement.

The spokesman said that in the late 1990’s NAB made a number of politically motivated cases against Sherpao, who faced trial in each of these cases and was subsequently acquitted by the courts.

These acquittals were upheld up to the Supreme Court, he added.

“NAB has never had any valid or lawful claim against any asset owned by Aftab Sherpao, all of which are duly declared,” it said, adding that in 2015 an investigation by NAB into the assets of QWP leader was formally closed after over 15 years probe by order of a court as no wrongdoing could be found.

The press release said that at a time when Aftab Sherpao was a member of the opposition, the arbitrator in the Broadsheet award had based his findings on the opinions of Moussavi and some NAB officials, which are not only self-serving but also completely uninformed.

It must be clarified that these were findings given in an arbitration award between two parties to a contract and not a foreign judgment by a court which would be binding on others or affect the rights of Aftab Sherpao or others.