REFERENCE/COMPLAINT NO. IX
Letter dated 18-6-2002 to CJ SCOP on Billion Rs defraud by ETPB / ISI Chief
August 26, 2002
Mr. Justice Sheikh Riaz Ahmed
The Chief Justice
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Islamabad
Dear Mr. Chief Justice,
I am writing on behalf of the Pakistan Peoples Party requesting a suo moto
inquiry by the Supreme Court against the National Accountability Bureau as
well as former ETPB chief and ISI General Javed Nasir.
The NAB conducts politically motivated investigations to achieve political
ends. It wastes state funds in the pursuit of a vendetta. Consequently
corrupt elements get a free hand to carry on their corruption. The NAB has
yet to investigate the corruption allegations against the Minister of
Commerce, Minister of Petroleum or the embezzlement of one hundred million
dollars from Pension funds known as the EOBI funds, the disappearance of two
hundred million dollars of privitisation funds, the source of the four
billion dollars which the State Bank bought by printing two hundred and
forty billion rupees as well as many other scandals.
NAB is guilty of violating NAB laws the clauses of which include abuse of
office and loss to national exchequer.
The NAB has caused a loss of billions of rupees in a six year witch hunt
against the PPP leadership turning a blind eye to corruption within the
regime itself or to those who support the regime.
The second matter that is raised relates to the corruption allegations
relating to former ISI chief and subsequent Chairman of the Evacuee Trust
Property Board (ETPB), Lt Gen Javed Nasir.
General Nasir allegedly swindled Rs 3 billion according to published
reports. According to these reports quoting a NAB official, the swindling
matter was 'put off for "unknown reasons".
Recently the NAB prosecutor and the deputy prosecutor for Punjab both
resigned. Their resignation becomes more significant against this
background.
It may be mentioned that the PPP has long held that the NAB was a front for
military officers who fought the Afghan Jihad under General Zia and saw the
PPP as a threat to their militant geo strategic vision of the region. In
this connection, retired military officers from the Zia era were hired on
contract in key places including the NAB.
According to the report in the press on August 25 2002, NAB officials 'could
not give any reason why the investigations against General Nasir had been
put off and not pursued by the Accountability Bureau as it had been doing in
the alleged cases of corruptions against opposition politicians particularly
former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and her spouse'.
Gen. Nasir, following his army retirement, was appointed Chairman of Evacuee
Trust Property Board where the controversial 20 land deals resulting in a
loss of three billion rupees took place.
One deal involved land on main Ferozepur Road. The land was sold at Rs
348,000 against the market price of Rs4.5 million.
In another deal in Karachi, a plot of market value of Rs. 267m was sold at
Rs5.6m. In a sale to 11 persons, another estimated loss of Rs. 243 million
was caused. A plot on Super Highway Karachi was disposed of at Rs. 48m
against its actual price of Rs. 240m. A plot on main Raiwind Road Lahore,
was sold at Rs46m against market price of Rs90m.
Land between Lahore Airport and Defence Housing Society was sold for Rs8.01m
against market price of Rs91.85m.
Further allegations relate to the leasing out of PASSCO godown in Lahore and
construction of the ETPB complex and Trust Plaza in the federal capital. It
is alleged that a loss of Rs320m was caused in the civil works alone.
According to a leading editorial in the Daily Times of August 25,2002
captioned "Another blot on the ISI". "Gen (Retd) Javed Nasir was a
born-again Muslim who converted from a playboy to a "pious" man of the
reactionary variety. He nursed a flowing beard and ran the biggest Deobandi
congregation in Pakistan, the Tableeghi Jamaat annual "jalsa" at Raiwind. He
was ... placed atop the ISI .on the request of another ISI officer, Imtiaz
Billa, who was also later tried for building up a private empire of
properties when in office. He was also the man who facilitated the likes of
Osama bin Laden to build terrorist bases in Afghanistan.
After Gen Javed Nasir was removed from the ISI in 1993, it was discovered
that he had pared off big sums of money by buying property for the ISI at
inflated rates. It was also discovered that he had taken the entire ISI
foreign exchange budget and placed it in Mehran Bank, which later
collapsed.... Although he was an engineer in the army, he steadily advanced
in career because of his "Islamic" guise.
Dear Chief Justice, the PPP believes that the false charges trumped up
against its leadership were a smokescreen for the siphoning of the state
funds by unscrupulous elements using the resources of Pakistan to finance
their geo strategic vision instead of spending it on the welfare of the
Pakistani people. I hope you will look into the matter with a view to
provide relief to the Pakistani people from injustice, corruption and abuse
of office by those who claim to be defenders of the law and the state.
Sincerely
Nayyer Bokhari, Advocate
On behalf of Pakistan Peoples Party
The Reference / Complaint is based on the source incorporated as under :
Another blot on the ISI
The Daily Times
August 25,2002
It transpires that an ex-ISI chief has fled the country after defrauding the
country of about Rs 3 billion. We're talking about General (Retd) Javed
Nasir who retired last as chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (EPTB)
amid rumours of corruption. We are now informed that NAB had taken note of
his shenanigans at the EPTB but kept its inquiries under the bushel and did
not put him on the exit control list. Two of the officers of the EPTB who
had for years defrauded the state by formally underselling precious
properties belonging to Hindu and Sikh charities have been picked up by NAB,
but the family of one of them has been able to migrate to Canada. Apparently
Gen Javed Nasir sold public properties in defiance of procedures and
sanctioned leases at abysmally low rates compared to market prices. The EPTB
complex that was built in Islamabad under his charge was also found to be of
substandard quality.
Gen (retd) Javed Nasir was a born-again Muslim who converted from a playboy
to a "pious" man of the reactionary variety. He nursed a flowing beard and
ran the biggest Deobandi congregation in Pakistan, the Tableeghi Jamaat
annual "jalsa" at Raiwind. He was a close "contact" of Nawaz Sharif's
father, having been placed atop the ISI when Nawaz Sharif came to power in
1990 on the request of another ISI officer, Imtiaz Billa, who was later also
tried for building up a private empire of properties when in office. He was
also the man who facilitated the likes of Osama bin Laden to build terrorist
bases in Afghanistan.
After Gen Javed Nasir was removed from the ISI in 1993, it was discovered
that he had pared off big sums of money by buying property for the ISI at
inflated rates. It was also discovered that he had taken the entire ISI
foreign exchange budget and placed it in Mehran Bank, which later collapsed,
compelling his successor at the ISI, General Javed Ashraf Qazi, to retrieve
the money in a commando-type operation against Yunus Habib, the president of
Mehran Bank. Despite this kind of odour of malpractice attached to him,
however, Nawaz Sharif returned to power in 1997 and placed Javed Nasir in
the EPTB. All the while, he wrote low IQ articles praising the Kargil
Operation and urging General Musharraf to take on the Indians. Although he
was an engineer in the army, he steadily advanced in career because of his
"Islamic" guise.
The flight of Gen (retd) Javed Nasir is a big blow to the already maligned
ISI in particular and to our intelligence institutions in general. One
senior Intelligence Bureau operative, Brigadier Imtiaz Billa, is facing
several trials for corruption. He was earlier dismissed for conspiring
against his own prime minister, i.e., Benazir Bhutto. An FIA chief, Rehman
Malik, is in exile spewing details of corruption in high places while
several FIA officers, including a former provincial head who is in prison,
are under inquiry. The last ISI chief, Gen Ziauddin Butt, is in the custody
of the army for inciting the last prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, to dismiss
the present army chief and give the job to him. Another former ISI chief,
Gen (retd) Asad Durrani, is implicated in the Mehran Bank scandal awaiting
trial in the Supreme Court.
It was a bad idea to let the man go. General Musharraf should purge tainted
institutions and stop protecting individuals simply because they have been
high-echelon military officers.
The Reference / Complaint is based on the source incorporated as under :
NAB inquiry against former ETPB chief put off
The Dawn August 25, 2002
Islamabad: Aug 24: The investigations initiated by the National
Accountability Bureau against the former chairman of Evacuee Trust Property
Board, Lt Gen Javed Nasir, who has allegedly swindled Rs3 billion have
lately been put off for "unknown reasons," a NAB official said.
"Yes investigations were going on against Mr Nasir but no case was pending
against him," a colonel at NAB's office in Lahore told Dawn by phone.
The colonel did not comment on the reports that Mr Nasir had slipped out of
the country after pocketing a sum of Rs3 billion in several shady land deals
of EPTB. However, a NAB official at the headquarters here denied that Mr
Nasir had left the country.
The official could not give any reason why the investigations against Mr
Nasir had been put off and not pursued by the Accountability Bureau as it
had been doing in the cases of corruptions against opposition politicians
particularly former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and her spouse.
The NAB official also refused to disclose the nature of investigation
pending against Lt Gen Javed Nasir who was also the head the country's prime
intelligence agency during the tenure of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Political parties had expressed their condemnation over the government's
attitude towards the corruption rampant in other state institutions. "This
has shown once again that the serving and retired officers of army have been
kept beyond the preview of accountability," PPP spokesman Farhatullah Baber
said.
The reports that government was turning a blind eye towards the corruption
of Mr Nasir in his capacity as the chairman of ETPB has exposed the
accountability drive of the present government.
"It is now clear that the on-going process is political motivated aimed at
keeping political opponents out of election contest," he added.
The PPP which had been facing brunt of accountability would lodge a formal
complaint with the NAB chairman Munir Hafeez to investigate this scam and
apprehend all those involved in it irrespective of their rank or position.
Mr Nasir who after his retirement from service had been appointed as the
Chairman of Evacuee Trust Property Board reportedly made 20 land deals.
In one deal of five kanals and 16 marlas of land on main Ferozepur Road Mr
Nasir siphoned off over Rs4 million as the land was sold at a throw away
price of Rs348,000 against the market price of Rs4.5 million.
In another deal of land in Karachi, a plot of market value of Rs267m was
sold at Rs5.6m.
Mr Nasir who had relinquished the charge of ETPB on July 16, 2001 on being
denied the extension allotted 916 kanals of land in Lahore to 11 different
persons causing an estimated loss of Rs243 million.
Another plot of 48 canals on Super Highway Karachi was disposed of by him at
Rs48m against its actual price of Rs240m.
The saga of land deals of Mr Nasir did not end here, in yet another deal of
100 kanals on main Raiwind Road Lahore, he made over Rs40m as the plot was
sold at Rs46m whereas it market price was Rs90m.
A piece of land between Lahore Airport and Defence Housing Society was sold
for Rs8.01m. At the time of deal it carried a market price of Rs91.85m.
Mr Nasir also made huge amount of money in leasing out PASSCO godown in
Lahore and in construction of ETPB complex and Trust Plaza here in the
federal capital.
In serious misappropriation in the construction of ETPB complex the former
chairman caused a loss of Rs320m in the civil works alone.
