Reality of Nawaz Sharif
RECORDER REPORT
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday lashed out at opposition leader in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan for labeling PTI as a puppet party and released details of assets and properties owned by Sharif family.
Speaking at a news conference, PTI spokesman, Zahid Kazmi alleged that PML-N is a political party 'born out of illegal wedlock' with a dictator. He also shared details of what he called as illegal wealth acquired by PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and his family.
Giving details, Kazmi claimed that the day Nawaz Sharif became finance minister, the entire family's earnings were few million rupees and had only one re-rolling mill. After that he added that they set up Ittefaq Sugar Mills in 1982, Brothers steel in 1983, Brother's Textile Mills in 1986, Brothers Sugar Mills Ltd in 1986, Ittefaq Textile units in 2-3 in 1987, Khalid Siraj Textile Mills in 1988, Ramzan Buksh Textiles in 1987 and Farooq Barkat (Pvt) Ltd in 1985.
He claimed that these industries were established on loans during Ziaul Haq regime. He further said that written off loans calculated by the first Public Accounts Committee (PAC), there were two at the top i.e. Chaudhry brothers with Rs22 billions, Mian Sharif with Rs21 billion, adding that all these were written off by Ziaul Haq and the record was still available in PAC Report of 1989.
Kazmi further claimed that by the time of Zia ul Haq's fateful plane crash, Mian Sharif's family was earning a net profit of US$ 3 million, up from a few million rupees. "While by the end of the decade their net assets were worth more than Rs 6 billion, according to their own admission, nearly US$ 350 million at the time. But this turned out to be small-change when Nawaz Sharif became the Prime Minister", he maintained.
When Nawaz Sharif became Prime Minister, Kazmi said that the group took a decision to secure project loans from the foreign banks and only working capital was taken from the nationalised commercial banks.
The project financing by foreign banks was ostensibly secured against the foreign currency deposits, a number of which were held in 'Benamee' accounts, as repeatedly claimed by the then interior minister Naseer Ullah Khan Babar at his press conferences, he added.
He said that in 1992 the slain Punjab governor Salman Taseer released an account of Nawaz Sharif's alleged corruption stating that the family had taken loans of up to Rs12 billion rupees, which were never paid back.
The PTI leader said that on March 2, 1994 Khalid Siraj, a cousin of Nawaz Sharif had claimed that the assets of the seven brothers were valued at Rs 21 billion.
He further claimed that by 1995 the family's declared annual profits from industrial units had increased 1500 percent from US$ 30 million to staggering US$ 400 million.
About the details of the properties of Nawaz Sharif and family property in UK, Kazmi claimed that they have properties including (i) 356- Wexham Road, Slough SL2 5 QL (ii) 116 Byron Avenue, Honslow TW 4 6LY (iii) 149 The Crecent, Slolugh SL 1 2LF (iv) 332 Wexham Road, Slough SL 2 5 QL (v) 24 Railway Road, Kings Lynn PE 30 1 NF and (vi) 149 The Crescent, Slough SL 1 2LF.
About the assets of Hamza Sharif son of Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, he said that he (Hamza) owns (i) 24 Jermyn Street, Liverpool l8 2 XA (ii) 14 garrison Close, Liverpool l8 0HA (iii) 65 Ellerker Avenue, Doncaster DN4 0AY and (iv) 75 Wellingley Road, Balby, Doncaster DN4 8TB.
About Hassasn Nawaz Sharif, son of Nawaz Sharif, Kazmi claimed that he also owns in UK (i) Avenfield House, Parklane, London W1K 7AF (ii) 62 Springfield Road, Wolverhampton WW 10 0LJ and (iii) 119 Eton Avenue, Wembly HA0 3 BA.
Regarding the assets of Kalsoom Sharif, he claimed that she owns 200 The Frithe, Slough SL 2 5RW (ii) 30 Lloyd Road, Manchester M19 2RF, (iii) 16 Grasmere Parade, Wexham Road, Slough SL 2 5HZ(iv) 1/1, Clerk Street, Edinberg EH 8 9JH and (v) 201 ST. Andres Road, Birmingham B9 4NB.
About the assets of Mariam Sharif, he claimed that she owns (i) 78 Edinburgh Road, London E 17 7 QB (ii) 9 Sturrock Close, London N 15 5 JA (iii) 49 Avenuse Road, London N 15 5JG (iv) 6 Selby Square, London W 10 4 AP (v) 4 Highfiled LAN, Maidnhead SL6 AG and (vi) 200 Richmond Hill Street, Accrington BB5 OPZ.
The PTI leader while referring to the leader of the opposition's Monday speech in National Assembly tagged Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan as 'leader of the friendly opposition'. "The double faced policies of the PML-N stand exposed with sinking popularity and it is now getting desperate by making absence allegations against the PTI leader", he maintained.
He warned the PML-N not to indulge in mud slinging adding that PTI was fully prepared to counter the propaganda launched against it and if need it will expose the 'real face' of the top PML-N leaders.
Kazmi accused the PML-N for a long history of making underhand deals with dictators. "Instead standing with its local leadership, the PML-N top leaders even made a deal with General Musharraf to quit politics for 10 years and opted to live in exile", he said.
