REFERENCE / COMPLAINT NO. VII

Reference dated 19-7-2005 – Allegations of Land Grab – Sh Rashid, Minister

The Chairman
National Accountability Bureau
Islamabad.

Pakistan Peoples Party - - - - - - - - - - - - COMPLAINANT

VS

Sheikh Rashid Ahmad
Minister for Information and Media Development
Government of Pakistan

Islamabad - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Accused / Respondent

Subject: COMPLAINT UNDER SECTION 5 AND 18 (B) SUB SECTION-II OF THE NATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY BUREAU (NAB) ORDINANCE 1999, AGAINST THE HOLDERS OF PUBLIC OFFICE FOR PUNISHMENT UNDER SECTION 10 OF NAB ORDINANCE FOR CAUSING HUGE FINANCIAL LOSS TO THE NATIONAL EXCHEQUER BY CORRUPTION AND CORRUPT PRACTICES.

1. The respondent in this complaint does fall within the ambit of NAB Ordinance 1999 for the purposes of investigation, trial and punishment.

2. The respondent is reportedly guilty of corruption and corrupt practices as defined in Section 9 of the Ordinance and as such are subject to punishment under Section 10 of the Ordinance based upon the following facts and grounds:

Facts and Grounds:
According to a Press Report captioned ‘Sheikh Rashid trained Kashmiri fighters’ quoting Yasin Malik of JKLF, printed in the ”Daily Times” dated June 14, 2005 (copy enclosed). The respondent has been training Kashmiri fighters and in a clarification thereof, the respondent did admit that he has been looking after the Kashmiri refugees at his place. It was later revealed that in 1989 during the government of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the ISI without clearance from the government had given the respondent, the then a Member of Opposition, hundreds of acres of prime land in the Islamabad / Rawalpindi areas. The spokesperson of PPP also clarified that when the then PPP government took up this matter with the ISI, it was informed that the land was given for support to the Kashmiri groups.

According to the policy adopted by the present government, training of Kashmiris has now been stopped. The question arises as under what circumstances, huge piece of land was given to the respondent by ISI and after the change in the policy regarding Kashmiris, under which authority the respondent still retains the said land worth billion of rupees and why the same has not been taken back.

By giving land worth billion of rupees to the respondent, a great financial loss to the government exchequer has been caused and the respondent has been benefited. The then ISI authorities and the respondent are jointly and severely responsible for causing great financial loss to the Nation.

Conclusion:
Based on the above information and grounds, respondent has shown willful indulgence in corrupt practices under Section 9 of the NAB Ordinance 1999. Such person is subject to punishment under Section 10 of the NAB Ordinance.

As such, the Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau is called upon to initiate investigation in connection with matters set out herein above and further proceed to file a Reference against respondent for violating the provisions of Section 9 of the NAB Ordinance 1999 punishable under Section 10 of the NAB Ordinance 1999 in competent court of law.

Complainant :
Pakistan Peoples Party

Through :

( Shah Khawar )
Advocate High Court
Islamabad : Dated : 19 July 2005

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Daily Times
Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Sheikh Rashid trained Kashmiri fighters: Yasin
By Shahzad Raza

ISLAMABAD: When the armed struggle in held Kashmir was at its zenith, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed set up a camp where around 3,500 Jihadis were trained in guerrilla warfare, revealed Yasin Malik, the Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman, at an exhibition of 1.5 million signatures by Kashmiris demanding their involvement in the dialogue process.

“Sheikh Rashid has played a great role for Kashmir’s liberation. He used to support the frontline Jihadis, but very few people know about his contributions,” the JKLF chief informed the audience.

The JKLF leader praised Rashid for his contribution to the armed struggle, but the minister refused to comment when journalists approached him.

Inaugurated by Asma Jehangir, the HRCP chairperson, the exhibition showed thousands of pictures of Kashmiri people participating in Malik’s signature campaign.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz visited the exhibition. He called for a solution that helped the Kashmiri people and fulfilled their wishes. He also said the Kashmir dispute must be resolved with the consent of Pakistan, India and the people of Kashmir and he resolved that Pakistan would continue its support to Kashmiri people.

Yasin Malik demanded free and fair elections to choose true representatives of Kashmiri people for the dialogue process. Those elections must not be held under the Indian Election Commission, he added.

Asma Jehangir informed the audience that she was in contact with Malik for the last 10 years in connection with human rights violations in Kashmir. She praised the Kashmiri leaders for supporting the peace process.