In past, Nawaz started many cases against all their political opponents including PPP leaderships and workers. Similarly PPP (BeNazir) started cases against all their political opponents including PMLN leaderships and workers. Both parties were corrupt to the core still started cases against opponents with intention of victimising. Some cases really had substance and some were just fabrications, but purpose was to victimise or blackmail the opponents and keep the cases lingering.
Fortunately, Musharraf government did not start cases to victimise or blackmail opponents. Thus, there were very few cases against PPP leaderships or workers as well as PMLN leaderships or workers (except Nawaz and his family … all of those cases had substance). Nevertheless, Musharraf government did pursue past selective cases of corruption that had substance. When NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) was issued, all cases registered before Nov 1999 (when Musharraf took over) got closed, that includes cases against Zardari as well as Nawaz (that was started by BB second government). Anyhow, cases that were registered after Musharraf took over in Nov 1999 are not covered by NRO. Now, PPP government has moved NAB against Nawaz on corruption cases that were started during Musharraf time, with references in July 2000, and thus are not included in NRO. These cases were made dormant after Nawaz and his family were sent to Saudi Arabia.
These are the three references that were made dormant by Musharraf after Nawaz was sent to Saudi Arabia.
It is very appropriate move by Zardari as at least some corruption cases of one mega past corrupt and his family would be dealt with and hopefully they (Nawaz and his family) would get punished. Unfortunately, sometime I feel that starting of these cases are just for political purpose, to harass and blackmail Nawaz. I hope that this is not the case and it is my wish that court orders confiscation of all assets that Nawaz and his family accumulated from corruption. Please pray for the sake of Pakistan that NAB do come with positive verdicts and Pakistan gets back some of the looted wealth of poor this crook (Nawaz) has robbed.
NAB move to reopen Sharifs’ graft cases -DAWN - Top Stories; September 03, 2008
NAB move to reopen Sharifs’ graft cases
By Our Reporter
RAWALPINDI, Sept 2: The National Accountability Bureau filed on Tuesday an application in the court of special judge central seeking to reopen three corruption references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and members of his family.
The petition filed by NAB prosecutor general Danishwar Malik in the court of Shaukat Ali Sajid in the absence of all the four judges of accountability courts sought review of an order passed by accountability court judge Khalid Mehmood last month about adjournment of the three references – Hudaibia Paper Mills, Ittefaq Foundry and Raiwind assets – for an indefinite period.
The court fixed September 4 for initial hearing.
The prosecutor general stated that the Aug 21 order of the accountability court was based on an observation that the earlier submission of the NAB for reopening the cases in August last year had not been signed by the bureau chairman.
He argued that the previous submission had been made by deputy prosecutor general as a competent authority and the point that it had not been signed by the NAB chairman was not relevant. He said the bureau wanted to reopen the proceedings against the accused.
The corruption references had been filed by NAB chairman on July 15, 2000.
In the Hudaibia Paper Mills reference, the accused are: Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, Abbas Sharif, Hussain Nawaz, Hamza Shahbaz, Haroon Pasha and Senator Ishaq Dar. They were charged with securing a huge amount as loan and later using it for other purposes, causing huge losses to the national exchequer.
In the Ittefaq Foundry reference, Nawaz Sharif, Abbas Sharif, Mukhtar Hassan, Kamal Qureshi and a couple of other persons were accused of securing big loans and abusing them.
In the assets reference, the accused included Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, their late father Mian Sharif, mother Shamim Akhtar and other family members. They were charged with accumulating money and assets beyond their declared means of income.
AP adds: PML-N leader’s lawyer Khwaja Haris said that the move appeared “to be aimed at using the accountability courts against Nawaz Sharif”.
PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said that pursuing the cases smacked of “political bankruptcy”.
“Sometimes, if you cannot get things done politically, then you try to blackmail the opposition,” he told DawnNews TV.