Nawaz faces murder inquiry

THE Supreme Court is set to hear petitions seeking the prosecution of PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif, for murder. According to documents obtained by the BBC, the court will hear the accusations against Nawaz Sharif and then decide whether to pursue the charges. The petitions call for Nawaz Sharifs arrest and prosecution. He has denied ordering the murder of an ex-army officer after an alleged political kickbacks deal turned sour. Nawaz Sharif, twice elected as prime minister, has recently been acquitted of similar criminal charges by the Supreme Court. The courts decision was made on July 21 but it is expected to begin its inquiries imminently. This is a false and totally politically-motivated accusation, Ahsan Iqbal, spokesman for Nawaz Sharifs Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), told the BBC. This is only the latest in a series of recent accusations against Sharif. The presidency and hidden hands are trying to pressurise him into backing down on his demand for prosecuting (former President) Musharraf. However, the main petitioner in the case, Shahid Orakzai, said that the court ruling was the vindication of a long struggle. It has taken 12 years for the truth to prevail, said Orakzai. His brother, Maj Shabbir Orakzai, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Kohat in 1997. Shahid Orakzai, a freelance journalist, said his brother was murdered because he went public with a political kickbacks deal. The deal dates back to 1993 and allegedly involved Nawaz Sharif and senior party leaders. At that time Orakzai arranged a deal between them and parliamentarians from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). The deal involved the payment of 10 million rupees to the parliamentarians in return for their support for the PML-N candidate for Speaker of Parliament. But the PML-N reneged on payment after the PPP candidate won the election. This led to Orakzai going public with the deal and asking the chief election commissioner (CEC) to take action. However, the CEC refused and the matter ended up in court. Eventually, the court accepted that the deal had taken place and Orakzais persistence led to awkward questions for Nawaz Sharif. Orakzai alleged that Nawaz Sharif subsequently ordered his brother to be murdered. It is utter rubbish and just part of a scheme to launch a character assassination of Nawaz Sharif, said Iqbal. Orakzai has often made himself part of petitions against Nawaz Sharif and everybody knows his connections to the intelligence agencies. If we are issued notices, we will deal with them, although we arent too worried about them.

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