The Make or Break Battle Between Islamabad and Sindh Begins Abruptly
By Shaheen Sehbai
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THE ECL BAN on the entire PPP/Sindh leadership and key officials, barring them from leaving the country, marks the sudden start of
an inevitable battle that could either decimate the PPP top brass or leave Imran Khan or the higher courts with a fatal black eye.
The JIT report has amazed many with its speed, its intensity and its methodical deep reach and astounding penetration to bring the PPP and its silent and over-confident
collaborators in many sectors head to head.
A close look at the money-flow chart tells us about the massive investigation into what could easily become the biggest ever money-
laundering scam unearthed anywhere in the world in such a professional manner.
It tells us many things in hindsight. First of all the decision to form a JIT to probe this scam, which began with the disclosure of a few suspicious accounts, was well thought out. By involving the ISI and banking officials, truth-seekers ensured that nothing that was
relevant was left out.
All acknowledge that Asif Ali Zardari was deeply involved in such dubious scams for years but no one had so far been able to grab this slippery fish as it swished out every
time a net was laid. He remained in jail for
years but was not indicted or convicted. The
then army ruler was using him as a
blackmailing lever against Benazir, not
interested in actually indicting or punishing
him for his deeds.
An obvious NRO followed and all his
cases were dropped, no matter how strong
and credible the evidence that had been
gathered by agencies and prosecutors.
BB’s death changed the scenario and
emerging from oblivion Zardari was now in a
position to blackmail the establishment and
had to be accommodated. So his crimes
were ignored, he was given a free passage
to become the head of state and run the
country.
He ran amok and with a vengeance. This
time he had become wiser than the wise men
of Gotham. He knew how to use, misuse and
abuse the legal system. He decided to legally
get clean chits from compliant courts.
He deployed hi-profile attorneys, misused
diplomats like Wajid Shamsul Hasan and
Husain Haqqani to steal and destroy the
evidence, mysterious fires in all critical
storages where original documents were
archived broke out, photo-copies available
elsewhere were challenged, compromised
members of the judiciary were unable to
stand up against a strong ruling mafia.
He got acquittals from almost all the
cases, never on merit and on evidence or
lack of it, but on technical grounds. He could
now claim he had been exonerated and dry-
cleaned, whitewashed. He seriously believed
so but not countless others who had been
cheated and left bruised and defrauded by
him and the system.
Feeling confident, though politically cut to a
fraction of what BB’s PPP once looked like,
Zardari went on a spree in the spheres that
he still controlled --- Sindh Government,
some banks and industrial units he had
created as part of the master plan of his
money laundering scheme, many front men,
even rickshaw drivers and ice cream
vendors.
The JIT has detailed the flow of money
from one end to the other, with bank
accounts, vouchers, subsidies to his own
industrial units and so on. The scheme
expanded in 4 to 5 years to a global network
that had successfully stolen government
funds, hijacked projects and recycled them
into mega showpieces like the 64-storey
Bahria skyscraper in Karachi, vast lands
spreading on thousands of acres given to
Malik Riaz, free palaces gifted to him in
return and on and on. Even birthday cakes
were brought from fake accounts, as were
lunches and dinners for Bilawal House
residents.
It was a free-for-all party, nay an orgy, on
state account and all were enjoying as if they
would never be caught.
Luckily or unluckily for PPP, Panama
happened and the so far frustrated and
almost defeated establishment that always
wanted to pounce on Nawaz and Zardari,
found a platform they could put their toes on.
Blunders and mistakes by Nawaz led to
his government and family sinking into the
Panama whirlpool day by day until his
government went down and his political
fortunes drowned with the Imran Khan
upsurge.
Nawaz was becoming history but Zardari
was rejoicing as if he would have a free
hand. Not so. Planners were waiting for the
first big fish to be netted so that they could
then go for the next one.
With Nawaz gone, Zardari was next and
the tons of evidence that had already been
gathered in years were waiting to be used.
Zardari’s luck and tricks had eluded the
sinkhole for way too long. No more.
As soon as the Supreme Court found that
the fake account cases could rope in Zardari,
they decided to expand the probe and bring
in ISI and others. That was the moment
many had been waiting for years.
The data that they had to collect was
already with them, in raw shape, which
Zardari had never allowed to be presented in
any court.
Quickly the JIT jumped on all the records,
sent delegations abroad to confirm and tie up
loose ends, grab those who had been used
as front men, many of whom were already in
their custody and had deposed like Lyari’s
Uzair Baloch, Anwar Majid and his family, Dr
Asim Hussain, Hussain Lawai and others.
Tons of facts existed and had simply to be
collated, confirmed and dots connected, T’s
needed to be crossed. Much of what the JIT
needed was achieved quickly.
When the report was sent in to SC in 26-
volumes, it was a miraculous job.
Zardari was expecting something nasty but
not a nuclear bomb like this.
He went ballistic and was assured by paid
and unpaid loyal attorneys that he should not
panic, as he will get time, like Nawaz.
The PPP leadership was then called in and
asked to stand up. Shamelessly and almost
helplessly the leadership had no option but to
buckle in and start speaking for the criminals
en bloc. Where else in the world does a
political party comes to whitewash crimes
committed by a leader or a family of leaders.
This helpless crowd, blackmailed and
coerced by the besieged leaders, joined in to
declare war on Imran Khan, who by the way
had little to do with all what had happened to
either Nawaz or Zardari. It was all said and
done before even PTI came into power.
But Zardari had to find a political target as
he had not enough guts to directly challenge
the army and the courts as he had foolishly
done 3 years ago and then had to run for his
life abroad.
So in this milieu when Zardari opened fire
on Imran Khan, the PTI also found an easy
way out to deflect the criticism on its own
performance by taking on the Sindhi
criminals.
When the JIT named all these guys, Imran
Khan had to take the decision to apply the
law and put them on ECL, at least until the
Supreme Court decides what to do with the
JIT report.
But the super-hype thus created has put
everyone in a tight corner. Neither the courts
can back down nor the PTI government can
offer any olive branch. Law has to take its
course, which means the Centre is directly
up against the province.
An overview of the situation looks like the entire Sindh government is decapitated with the PPP top figures (Zardari, Faryal, Bilawal, Murad Ali Shah, Qaim Ali Shah, Ali Mehr, Siyaal, etc), many ministers, All-the-Zardari’s hit-men (Omni Group and family Anwar
Majid, sons, employees), Riaz Laljee, Aijaz
Haroon (PIA), old and new collaborators in
banks (Lawai (Summit) Ali Raza (NBP)
Ahsan Raza Durrani (Summit) Ahsan Tariq
and Bilal Sheikh (Sindh Bank) Tahir
Mahmood (SECP) and scores of others, all
confined and ordered not to leave the
country.
With threat of arrests hanging over all
these figures running Sindh, it is but natural
that one province has come to a standstill, no
matter how loud or big the claims of the
besieged PPP men may sound.
What needs to be highlighted is that the
confrontation is going to make or break either
of the parties, if the courts, the silent
establishment, the “khalai makhlooq” (alien
forces), do not cave in.
Sooner than later someone has to take
charge of running the province and the
system.
If the PPP makes the foolish decision of
using the government resources to fight back
criminal charges against Zardari and family,
the Centre will have to quickly take charge
and stop it.
No government or establishment can allow
a province or a party to blackmail The State
for saving some corrupt leaders being held
accountable for their crimes. Nawaz and
PML-N were in the same position and they
made some sabre-rattling statements but
quickly realized it was hitting the head
against the wall and shrunk into their cages.
Tehrik Labbaik did the same mistake and is
now neutralized.
Zardari is more vulnerable and has put his
own son into jeopardy as well. He tried to
show some teeth three years back but
quickly escaped. Now he is caught and
cannot even squeak. Meekly and very
scared, he is telling his party not to fear. His
body language betrays him.
The mountain of evidence against him that
could never be used before is now ready to
fall on his head.
Every tyrant has his day of reckoning.
Every thief has his Karma.
Source: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P6b32mRKwLLxXO62n9t7AWsWl-7x7QD7/view
By Shaheen Sehbai
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THE ECL BAN on the entire PPP/Sindh leadership and key officials, barring them from leaving the country, marks the sudden start of
an inevitable battle that could either decimate the PPP top brass or leave Imran Khan or the higher courts with a fatal black eye.
The JIT report has amazed many with its speed, its intensity and its methodical deep reach and astounding penetration to bring the PPP and its silent and over-confident
collaborators in many sectors head to head.
A close look at the money-flow chart tells us about the massive investigation into what could easily become the biggest ever money-
laundering scam unearthed anywhere in the world in such a professional manner.
It tells us many things in hindsight. First of all the decision to form a JIT to probe this scam, which began with the disclosure of a few suspicious accounts, was well thought out. By involving the ISI and banking officials, truth-seekers ensured that nothing that was
relevant was left out.
All acknowledge that Asif Ali Zardari was deeply involved in such dubious scams for years but no one had so far been able to grab this slippery fish as it swished out every
time a net was laid. He remained in jail for
years but was not indicted or convicted. The
then army ruler was using him as a
blackmailing lever against Benazir, not
interested in actually indicting or punishing
him for his deeds.
An obvious NRO followed and all his
cases were dropped, no matter how strong
and credible the evidence that had been
gathered by agencies and prosecutors.
BB’s death changed the scenario and
emerging from oblivion Zardari was now in a
position to blackmail the establishment and
had to be accommodated. So his crimes
were ignored, he was given a free passage
to become the head of state and run the
country.
He ran amok and with a vengeance. This
time he had become wiser than the wise men
of Gotham. He knew how to use, misuse and
abuse the legal system. He decided to legally
get clean chits from compliant courts.
He deployed hi-profile attorneys, misused
diplomats like Wajid Shamsul Hasan and
Husain Haqqani to steal and destroy the
evidence, mysterious fires in all critical
storages where original documents were
archived broke out, photo-copies available
elsewhere were challenged, compromised
members of the judiciary were unable to
stand up against a strong ruling mafia.
He got acquittals from almost all the
cases, never on merit and on evidence or
lack of it, but on technical grounds. He could
now claim he had been exonerated and dry-
cleaned, whitewashed. He seriously believed
so but not countless others who had been
cheated and left bruised and defrauded by
him and the system.
Feeling confident, though politically cut to a
fraction of what BB’s PPP once looked like,
Zardari went on a spree in the spheres that
he still controlled --- Sindh Government,
some banks and industrial units he had
created as part of the master plan of his
money laundering scheme, many front men,
even rickshaw drivers and ice cream
vendors.
The JIT has detailed the flow of money
from one end to the other, with bank
accounts, vouchers, subsidies to his own
industrial units and so on. The scheme
expanded in 4 to 5 years to a global network
that had successfully stolen government
funds, hijacked projects and recycled them
into mega showpieces like the 64-storey
Bahria skyscraper in Karachi, vast lands
spreading on thousands of acres given to
Malik Riaz, free palaces gifted to him in
return and on and on. Even birthday cakes
were brought from fake accounts, as were
lunches and dinners for Bilawal House
residents.
It was a free-for-all party, nay an orgy, on
state account and all were enjoying as if they
would never be caught.
Luckily or unluckily for PPP, Panama
happened and the so far frustrated and
almost defeated establishment that always
wanted to pounce on Nawaz and Zardari,
found a platform they could put their toes on.
Blunders and mistakes by Nawaz led to
his government and family sinking into the
Panama whirlpool day by day until his
government went down and his political
fortunes drowned with the Imran Khan
upsurge.
Nawaz was becoming history but Zardari
was rejoicing as if he would have a free
hand. Not so. Planners were waiting for the
first big fish to be netted so that they could
then go for the next one.
With Nawaz gone, Zardari was next and
the tons of evidence that had already been
gathered in years were waiting to be used.
Zardari’s luck and tricks had eluded the
sinkhole for way too long. No more.
As soon as the Supreme Court found that
the fake account cases could rope in Zardari,
they decided to expand the probe and bring
in ISI and others. That was the moment
many had been waiting for years.
The data that they had to collect was
already with them, in raw shape, which
Zardari had never allowed to be presented in
any court.
Quickly the JIT jumped on all the records,
sent delegations abroad to confirm and tie up
loose ends, grab those who had been used
as front men, many of whom were already in
their custody and had deposed like Lyari’s
Uzair Baloch, Anwar Majid and his family, Dr
Asim Hussain, Hussain Lawai and others.
Tons of facts existed and had simply to be
collated, confirmed and dots connected, T’s
needed to be crossed. Much of what the JIT
needed was achieved quickly.
When the report was sent in to SC in 26-
volumes, it was a miraculous job.
Zardari was expecting something nasty but
not a nuclear bomb like this.
He went ballistic and was assured by paid
and unpaid loyal attorneys that he should not
panic, as he will get time, like Nawaz.
The PPP leadership was then called in and
asked to stand up. Shamelessly and almost
helplessly the leadership had no option but to
buckle in and start speaking for the criminals
en bloc. Where else in the world does a
political party comes to whitewash crimes
committed by a leader or a family of leaders.
This helpless crowd, blackmailed and
coerced by the besieged leaders, joined in to
declare war on Imran Khan, who by the way
had little to do with all what had happened to
either Nawaz or Zardari. It was all said and
done before even PTI came into power.
But Zardari had to find a political target as
he had not enough guts to directly challenge
the army and the courts as he had foolishly
done 3 years ago and then had to run for his
life abroad.
So in this milieu when Zardari opened fire
on Imran Khan, the PTI also found an easy
way out to deflect the criticism on its own
performance by taking on the Sindhi
criminals.
When the JIT named all these guys, Imran
Khan had to take the decision to apply the
law and put them on ECL, at least until the
Supreme Court decides what to do with the
JIT report.
But the super-hype thus created has put
everyone in a tight corner. Neither the courts
can back down nor the PTI government can
offer any olive branch. Law has to take its
course, which means the Centre is directly
up against the province.
An overview of the situation looks like the entire Sindh government is decapitated with the PPP top figures (Zardari, Faryal, Bilawal, Murad Ali Shah, Qaim Ali Shah, Ali Mehr, Siyaal, etc), many ministers, All-the-Zardari’s hit-men (Omni Group and family Anwar
Majid, sons, employees), Riaz Laljee, Aijaz
Haroon (PIA), old and new collaborators in
banks (Lawai (Summit) Ali Raza (NBP)
Ahsan Raza Durrani (Summit) Ahsan Tariq
and Bilal Sheikh (Sindh Bank) Tahir
Mahmood (SECP) and scores of others, all
confined and ordered not to leave the
country.
With threat of arrests hanging over all
these figures running Sindh, it is but natural
that one province has come to a standstill, no
matter how loud or big the claims of the
besieged PPP men may sound.
What needs to be highlighted is that the
confrontation is going to make or break either
of the parties, if the courts, the silent
establishment, the “khalai makhlooq” (alien
forces), do not cave in.
Sooner than later someone has to take
charge of running the province and the
system.
If the PPP makes the foolish decision of
using the government resources to fight back
criminal charges against Zardari and family,
the Centre will have to quickly take charge
and stop it.
No government or establishment can allow
a province or a party to blackmail The State
for saving some corrupt leaders being held
accountable for their crimes. Nawaz and
PML-N were in the same position and they
made some sabre-rattling statements but
quickly realized it was hitting the head
against the wall and shrunk into their cages.
Tehrik Labbaik did the same mistake and is
now neutralized.
Zardari is more vulnerable and has put his
own son into jeopardy as well. He tried to
show some teeth three years back but
quickly escaped. Now he is caught and
cannot even squeak. Meekly and very
scared, he is telling his party not to fear. His
body language betrays him.
The mountain of evidence against him that
could never be used before is now ready to
fall on his head.
Every tyrant has his day of reckoning.
Every thief has his Karma.
Source: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P6b32mRKwLLxXO62n9t7AWsWl-7x7QD7/view
