ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman yesterday accused Punjab chief minister of getting huge kickbacks in development projects.
Imran Khan accused Shehbaz Sharif of taking cuts through his ‘front-man’ Javed Sadiq, a businessman having Canadian nationality.
“Javed Sadiq is seen in numerous meetings with Shehbaz Sharif… he [Punjab CM] receives kickbacks through him,” Imran told journalists at his at his Bani Gala residence yesterday.
He claimed that Javed had so far received Rs15 billion as commission and consultancy charges in several provincial projects, and is due to get another Rs26 billion.
PTI chief also warned the government that it would have to face resistance in case it tried to arrest his party’s leadership in an effort to thwart their November 2 protest.
“Then no one should say that democracy has been derailed (as it would be government’s own fault),” he remarked.
Imran Khan alleged that Shehbaz Sharif’s front-man owned consultancy firms namely Business Control Solution (BCS) and Javed Sadiq Management (JSM), and Mr Sadiq would get at least Rs26.550 billion through these companies for only four development projects.
“Business Control Solution got Rs250 million (1 percent of the total amount of project) as commission out of Rs25 billion project of New Islamabad Airport through an agreement signed with China Construction; BCS got Rs300 million (6.5 percent share) out of Rs5 billion project of Software Technology Park through the agreement signed with China Construction; JSM got Rs11 billion in Rs150 billion project of Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park Bahawalpur Project through an agreement it signed with Zhong Energy; and BCS would get Rs15 billion (5 percent share) out of Rs300 billion project of CPEC Multan-Sukkur Motorway Section,” according to one-page details of the accusations shared by PTI with the reporters.
The documents of the aforesaid agreements signed by the firms owned by Javed Sadiq with the Chinese companies - that were shared by PTI with the media - showed that the BCS and JSM signed consultancy agreements with the Chinese companies on the share basis formula.
But Imran Khan in his press talk said that Javed Sadiq had got Rs15 billion as commission in these four projects and the total projected kickbacks are Rs26.550 billion.
“Javed Sadiq would have only got Rs50 million to Rs70 million (as consultancy fee) and the remaining amount of billions (of rupees) has gone into the pocket of Shehbaz Sharif,” he claimed.
“(CM) Shehbaz claims if the allegation of a single rupee corruption is proved, he will quit,” Khan reminded and said that this was now crystal clear why Punjab CM used to visit China frequently. He accused that both the brothers, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and CM Shehbaz Sharif, used to go to China to sign ‘shady deals’.
PTI chief also said the remarks of IMF managing director that Pakistan would not move ahead unless the menace of corruption is eradicated, also endorsed the point of view of PTI.
He reiterated his stance that PM Nawaz Sharif had been caught red-handed in connection with Panama Papers and he would continue his sit-in in Islamabad until either he resigns or present himself for accountability.
To a question, Imran said Shehbaz Sharif would not resign in case he made this demand.
He said how the government would function when one million protesters would gather in the capital.
He hoped that chief of Pakistan Awami Tehreek would participate in his November 2 protest.
“PML-N says that corruption is legitimate and protest is illegitimate,” he said. Khan questioned whether Nawaz Sharif’s long march that he held for the restoration of then deposed chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry was legitimate. “And now when we protest they say this illegitimate,” he added.
Responding questions, PTI chairman said the narrative of the government that came out through the leaks of the national security meeting was similar to that of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s. He said that the law and order of Karachi was ‘destabilised as a result of nexus of MQM and RAW’.
