| Who will benefit? | |
ISLAMABAD: Around 20 politicians, coupled with dozens of former bureaucrats, would be the immediate beneficiaries of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), majority of them said to be close associates of Benazir Bhutto or the front men of her spouse, Asif Ali Zardari. Besides Ms Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari, the NRO is also set to bring peace in the lives of those involved in corrupt practices during the regime of the former couple. In the politicians' list of prospective beneficiaries, the names of PPP Punjab secretary general Jehangir Badr, Ch Ahmad Mukhtar and Zardari's front men like Agha Siraj Durrani are prominent. Former bureaucrats with tainted reputation like Salman Farooqi and his Personal Staff Officer Siraj Shams-ud-Din, Shahid Hassan, former finance secretary Talat Javed, Rehman Malik, former NBP president M B Abbasi and Wajid Shams-ul-Hassan, will also turn out to be the beneficiaries of this ordinance – the easiest way to turn black money into white. Besides the sitting Interior Minister and former confidant of Ms Bhutto, Aftab Sherpao, Water and Power Minister Liaqat Jatoi and the speaker of Sindh Assembly Muzaffar Hussain Shah are at the top of the list of prospective beneficiaries from the government side. Although, those having no links with the PPP would also be enjoying immunity, the PPP leaders are said to be the biggest beneficiaries of this amnesty to be announced through the promulgation of an ordinance. There is a long list of politicians and bureaucrats who allegedly amassed wealth by all fair and foul means during Ms Bhutto's regime and who would go scot-free after the promulgation of this ordinance. The likes of Agha Siraj Durrani, former provincial minister from Sindh and close confidant of Zardari, is among the prospective beneficiaries. He was wanted in different corruption cases filed against Zardari. Nowadays, he is a frequent visitor of the alleged Mr 10 percent, Asif Ali Zardari, presently living in the US. A former provincial law minister from Sindh, Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, has also a corruption case pending in the accountability court and is presently said to be on bail. Although, he himself could not make way into the assembly, his daughter Marvi Mazhar is a PPP MPA in the Sindh Assembly. Former PPP chief minister Abdullah Shah, who was wanted in corruption cases, died several months ago. There are two confidants of Pir Pagaro who would also be the beneficiaries of this amnesty. They are former CM Sindh and presently the speaker of the provincial assembly, Muzaffar Hussain Shah, and former provincial minister Islam-ud-Din Sheikh. There were around 26 corruption cases against Sheikh. He had entered into a plea bargain with the NAB in a number of cases. One or two cases against Sheikh are still pending and he is on bail at the moment. PML-N leader Mian Shahbaz Sharif would also be a beneficiary of this amnesty as there are three corruption references against him pending with the accountability court in Rawalpindi. |
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