Finally the Tender to Run Pakistan…Thank God

Tender for running Pakistan

Vaqar Ahmed

Tender No. GOP 2013/193CTR/PTL/TEN/420

Tender Notice for Running the Country
The Government of Pakistan requires the service of an International Organization to run the country for a period of twenty-five years.

Country Background:
It is generally believed that Pakistan was created for the Muslims of India. However, there is still debate in the country regarding the ideology of Pakistan. Some say that Pakistan came into being so unexpectedly that no one had the time to define its ideology. The state of Pakistan can be categorized as one of the following (or any combination thereof):

• Islamic
• Secular
• Democratic
• Autocratic
• Militaristic
• Autistic

Since the creation of Pakistan, following governments have been in place:

1947 – 1948 Mohammed Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan was the first head of the state. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1948.

1948 – 1958 During this period 10 governments came and went. During this time a prime minister was assassinated and another exiled.

1958 – 1968 First Military coup and Martial law. The new Chief Martial Law Administrator and later President and Field Marshal, Mohammed Ayub Khan, ruled for ten years. People got sick and tired of dictatorship and went out in the streets calling the gentleman-soldier a dog. This broke his heart and he resigned. He was a decent sort of a chap who enriched only his own family and in return built many dams and a new city. He also authored a book titled “Friends and Masters”. Following the poor performance of the subsequent governments, he is today remembered as a Saint.

1971  The job of running the country became easier as the enslaved half of the country was freed through the goodwill and humanitarianism of the Pakistan military. The freed slaves made their own country called Bangladesh. The people of Bangladesh proved to be very ungrateful and now refuse to play cricket with Pakistan.

1972 – 1977 A young Oxford educated feudal Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto became the Chief Martial Law Administrator and then the Prime Minister. His main strength was his fiery speeches in good English and bad Urdu. He was such a good Muslim that he accepted all the key demands of the clerics like declaring the Ahmedis non-Muslims and banning alcohol. Being a man of conscience he started drinking heavily to lessen the pain of taking such horrid decisions. He also wisely purged all the left wing troublemakers in his party and replaced them with solid, reliable and wise men from the feudal class.

1977 – 1987 Mr. Bhutto’s top general Zia-ul-Haq did not see eye to eye with Mr. Bhutto. One part of the reason was that he was squint eyed and the second that he did not think that Mr. Bhutto was Islamic enough. So he did “Istikhara” (requesting guidance from God) and after receiving permission deposed the Prime Minister in a coup.

He announced that elections would take place in 90 days. However, the people were so pleased with the General that they beseeched him to stay. Being a true democrat the General could not turn down the request of the masses and decided to stay on to serve them. Just to make sure that he could serve the people with his full attention he declared that the pesky Mr. Bhutto had hanged himself in a fierce police encounter. Being a hospitable man, he invited all the Muslim Afghan brethren to live in Pakistan. He also helped them fight the infidels from Russia. He had a rich uncle named Sam who provided the required finances.

This pious man would be still in power if it were not for his love of mangoes. He filled up his plane with so many crates of mangoes that it crashed due to the excessive weight. Many in Pakistan were deeply saddened by the loss of such good mangoes.

1988 – 2013 The period from 1947 to 1988 was a game of musical chairs and no one remembers who came and who went and where and why. It is not clear who is running the affairs of Pakistan; in an opinion poll majority felt that it was God.

Scope of Work of the Bidder: 

The bidder will be solely responsible for running the Government of Pakistan.  This will include (but not limited to):

1. Disbanding the band of thieves that has been running the country for the past 65 years and deporting them to their home countries like the USA, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Great Britain, and Canada.

2. Ensuring that containers are used for the sole purpose of transporting goods.

3. Banning spitting of phlegm, tobacco, niswar, and paan peek in public places and particularly on stairwells.

4. Removing all garbage strewn around the country and dumping it outside.

5. Arresting all the religious extremists and putting them in a rehabilitation centre run by Doctor Maulana Tahirul Qadri.

6. Removing all the political talk show anchors and using them as anchors for the boats in the oily waters of Kemari.

7. Changing the foreign policy from misaligned to non-aligned.

8. Eliminating the police force by making it mandatory for them to have a 32 inch waist.

9. Making Hijab mandatory for men and optional for women.

Bidder Qualification:

• Bidders from countries deemed to be more corrupt than Pakistan in the Transparency International Rankings will be subject to immediate disqualification.

• Bidders from previous colonizing countries like Great Britain, The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and France will be given preference.

• Bidders from the USA are not eligible to bid as they are already running the Government of Pakistan.

• Bidders from Nigeria need not apply.

• The language of the bids can be any as long as it is English.

• Influencing the bid evaluation process by means of bribery is strictly prohibited unless it is at least $50 million and made through proper channels.

Submission of Tender:

• Tenders will be submitted in quadruplicate in hard copy by courier.

• As per normal procurement rules 10 per cent of the bid price will be deposited as “goodwill”

• Tenders will be submitted to the following address:

The Section Officer
Services and General Administration Division
Pakistan Secretariat
Islamabad

Closing date for the Tenders is 14 August 2013.

Najam Sethi in Cohoots with Zardari

Najam Sethi, now a bosom friend of Zardari, has been appointed as caretaker CM Punjab as a reward for keeping mum on his mega corruptions during present continuing rule. He was also the  ehtesab adviser to prime minister during 1996 caretaker govt. of Mr. Leghari, investigating corruption of Zardari and Benazir during their 1993-96 rule.

He is now preparing ground for re-election of Zardari.

See a video prepared by BBC named as “PRINCESS N PLAYBOY” soon after dismissal of Benazir govt. of 1993-96 by Farooq Leghari on corruption of the couple. Mr. Najam Sethi is star evidence testifying n investigating against corruption of Zardari and Bhutto in the documentary as ehtesab minister of caretaker setup.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xubf0i_princess-and-the-playboy-bbc-1996_news?start=900#.UV-vQKL-Eaj

Mr. Sethi is telling BBC that the couple was partners in crime and he has evidence to prove that. He, said that Zardari has ruined Benazir’s political career.

Look at the peculiar mindset of the gentleman in two caretaker setups—Once as Ehtesab Advisor in 1996 persecuting Zardari and now as CM Punjab rewarding Zardari.

Arvind Kejriwal Goes Bust

My Fellow Indian,

Under Anna’s leadership, India came on streets against corruption.

The people demanded a strong anti-corruption law. The government did not agree. None of the parties agreed. Obviously, they couldn’t have agreed because if they passed a strong Jan Lokpal Bill, most of the politicians would be in jail and their properties would be confiscated.

My friend, our entire political system has become rotten.

Most of today’s problems are due to corrupt politics. Unless it is cleansed, nothing would improve. That’s why we entered politics – we realized that staying away will not work. We have now formed the AAM AADMI PARTY. This party does not seek to capture power; it seeks to restore power back to the people.

Gandhiji said that politics devoid of honesty and spirituality is disastrous for the country. We have to change the politics of this country. I am confident that together, we can.

I seek your time and money in this mission as we are all working towards a common cause. Most parties are funded by big corporates for something in return but this will not happen in Aam Aadmi Party.

This party would be funded by Aam Aadmi and Aam Aurat of this country. That would be the beginning of an honest and transparent politics, unfortunately which runs on black money today

Whatever amount you contribute – small or big – is not important.

Every paisa matters because it is honest, and will go a long way in redefining the politics. In the interest of financial transparency, we publish the names of all the donors every week on our website.

You can donate online through national or international debit or credit cards or internet banking OR send a DD or cheque in favour of “Aam Aadmi Party” at the following address:
A-119, Kaushambi, Ghaziabad – 201010, UP.

Do not hesitate to write to us at contact@aamaadmiparty.org, if you have any questions or suggestions. You may also like to call Akash at 09717460029 for further queries.

Kindly forward this mail as widely as possible. Every effort helps, in the fight against corruption.

Jai Hind.

Warm regards,
Arvind Kejriwal

The Registration number of the Party is “56/145/2012/PPS-I”
“The Donation given to AAP is exempt under Income Tax Act 1961, u/s 80GGB/80GGC”

 

The fact that Anna Hazare is no longer on the list of the most powerful shows that people are more sober today and sceptical of tall claims made by so-called crusaders

The weekly, India Today, has just published its annual compilation of the most powerful people in India. Such lists inevitably contain some degree of arbitrariness as well as an element of subjectivity. But in the capital city which gets its kicks on gossip and patronage, such listings are sacred rites of reaffirmation. These yearly snapshots give a reasonable idea of how power is deemed to be shared among the prominenti. What is most astonishing about this year’s Power List is that social activist Anna Hazare, judged the most powerful person in India in 2012, does not find a place at all. The man who a year ago was declared the mightiest public presence has been reduced to a big nothing. Even Arvind Kejriwal, that energetic major domo in the Anna clique, who figured prominently at no. 47 last year, does not make the cut this time.

FASCINATING SUBJECT

The exclusion of Anna Hazare should be a fascinating phenomenon to every student of Indian political sociology. Was his canonisation last year totally misplaced or is his exclusion this year a reflection of a distorted notion of “power” and “powerful”? After all, only 12 months ago, the man was serenaded as our saviour for his anti-corruption campaign — a man who inspired millions of fellow Indians to raise their voice against a flawed system. It cannot be anybody’s case that India has become significantly free of “corruption” within a space of 12 months, or at least has become so much better that we no longer need the Anna Hazare ministrations. Or, have those who responded to Anna Hazare’s call to come out to the streets seen through the game, have become wiser, even a bit cynical?

Or, have those who promoted him in the first place and crafted a halo around him, given up on him, having achieved whatever elbow room they were looking for themselves? Has the “political” class beaten back an honest crusader or has the democratic legitimacy of the political system finally prevailed? What has changed in India that the man who was hailed as leading us to our “second war of Independence” is almost forgotten as a fallen hero?

All these are troubling questions and there are no easy answers. And the absence of easy answers points, once again, to the complicatedness of our collective woes, as also to the inescapable unpleasantness inherent in maintaining and sustaining a state order, in this exacting age of borderless capital and borderless terror.

Admittedly, the story is yet to be told of who decided that Anna Hazare be pitch-forked on to the national stage. All these years, the Gandhian activist was content to play the role of a minor nuisance to Maharashtra’s highly contaminated politicians and bureaucracy, that too with only patchy results. He never did set Mumbai on fire, yet he was now pencilled in for the role of a prime time insurgent. The powerful people with motives and resources who bankrolled the “movement” too were cognisant of his limited mind space. His only asset was that he was perhaps the only one around who still donned a Gandhi cap.

MOMENT OF FRUSTRATION

But for a while the Anna show was a great hit because the moment was ripe. It would be totally unimaginative to negate the national mood that provided the backdrop to the Anna Hazare movement. It was a moment of national frustration. A strange sense of helplessness and paralysis was visible to the vocal middle classes, who needed to have someone to blame for their globally induced economic miseries. So much so that a leading intellectual even allowed himself to suggest that Anna Hazare’s rambling speech at Ram Lila Maidan was more inspiring than Jawaharlal Nehru’s “Tryst with Destiny” oration. Such was the middle classes’ desperation and disenchantment with the A K. Antony rate of decision-making in UPA-II. As far as the middle classes were concerned a “Jan Lok Pal” was the abracadabra to make all the corruption go away and with it their miseries.

NOT A ‘MOVEMENT’

The Anna campaign was never a “movement” and it petered out because the very process that made it a “movement” lacked the integrity and moral stamina for a long-distance journey. To begin with, the TRP-jihadists saw a potential in Anna Hazare and adopted him as a long lost cousin. As it were, a number of media personalities came to invest heavily in the Hazare phenomenon. Some of them wrote fawning books, some cheerfully strategised with the India against Corruption crowd. They joyfully crossed the thin line between journalism and political partisanship.

For a while, corporate advertising support was available for this jugal bandi. The same telecom giants who figured dishonourably in the “2G” scam were in the forefront of providing the requisite advertising help to this “revolt of the masses.”

But then all good things do come to an end. And the media barons are not without greed. The eager-beavers who were leading the anti-corruption crusade were themselves caught on camera cutting deals with the “corrupt” corporate personalities. The spell was broken. A year later, the citizen is today much more sceptical of tall claims made by crusading matadors on the nightly shows.

Quest for good governance is a noble aspiration among citizens, not just in India but all over the democratic world. In response to this aspiration, the Manmohan Singh government has taken a few baby-steps towards instituting a new accountability structure. The Prime Minister had the wisdom and the humility to acknowledge and salute Anna Hazare, only to be greeted with arrogance and hubris of petty politicians. But thinking citizens do understand the soundness of the constitutional scheme of things. The Anna Hazare-backed solutions were located outside this constitutional arrangement. And if he is a forgotten man it is because the great institutional equilibrium is in the process of recovering its centeredness. It was only in the fitness of things that the judiciary as an institution should have become alarmed at the excessive extra-judicial vigilantism among its ranks. And, when the government gathered the courage to seek a Presidential Reference in the 2G matter, the judiciary grabbed the opportunity to undertake a course correction. An errant Comptroller and Auditor-General, who whetted our appetite for conspiracies and corruption, lost his bite as he increasingly painted himself in a partisan corner. No institutional functionary can be effective if he chooses to give an impression that he believes that all the bad men and all the badness are located on one side of the political divide. Partisanship begets partisanship, and the institution loses its respect and prestige.

The energy and anger that sustained Anna Hazare have not dissipated. But the Indian citizen is much more sober today than he was a year ago. Indeed, the Hazare sales-pitch was predicated on our weakness for the myth of a single man as a solution to all our collective ills.

MANUFACTURED CULT

This is essentially a Bollywood-isation of national imagination. Too often a determined clique is able to manufacture a halo around a man, promising to set things right, and then all the self-styled defenders of democratic values and democratic space effortlessly rush in to enlist in manufacturing a personality cult. At the height of the India Against Corruption crescendo, Kiran Bedi used to argue, as if in a trance, that “Anna has never failed.” The same infallibility and inevitability is now being chanted about another entrant to the Power List, a certain Chief Minister from Gujarat. The same players and strategy that were in play during the Anna “movement” are furiously at work again. But India is wiser today and has moved beyond the Anna Hazare temptation precisely because it can see through false prophets, and the sales-pitch made by them and on their behalf.

Harish Khare is a veteran commentator and political analyst, and former media adviser to PM Singh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pakhtun Bureaucracy Hinders Humanitarian Work

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the poorest province of Pakistan and the common folks not indulging in corruption or smuggling have a hard time surviving. In the midst of all this misery, the Pakhtun bureaucracy is making things worst for the people.

Delivering humanitarian aid in northwestern Pakistan has recently been hampered by attacks on schools], aid workers [ http://tribune.com.pk/story/487834/swabi-bloodletting-in-grisly-attack-gunmen-kill-seven-aid-workers/ ] and polio vaccination teams [ http://tribune.com.pk/story/481267/targeting-polio-workers/ ], and bureaucratic procedures for aid projects are making matters worse.

International and national humanitarian agencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KP) and the FATA often face long delays waiting for local officials to grant the relevant permits.

Since 2005, procedures to obtain No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for projects and travel have made it more difficult to deliver vital aid, and in at least one case, led directly to the cancellation of projects.

Relief and recovery projects in FATA and KP require project NOCs, while international staff, including UN workers, also require travel NOCs to move around.

“We had applied for a project implementation NOC to begin a project in livestock in the Kurram Agency to the FATA Disaster Management Authority in February, and had planned the project in December last year, but have still had no response,” said CEO of the Peshawar-based national NGO Shid, which works in livestock, livelihood and education. “Now the local livestock authorities in Kurram say it is too late to start – so everyone suffers.”

Hearing reports of delays, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) set about getting a more comprehensive picture by gathering data from agencies operating in the area.

The problem is not a new one. It has been there for some time.

Of the 18 humanitarian agencies who submitted data [ http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Humanitarian%20Bulletin%20Pakistan%20Issue%2013.pdf ] on NOC project requests in January and February, related to 27 projects, 21 were still being processed; only five had been approved and one had been rejected without explanation, as of early March.

Average processing time for project NOCs in KP as of the end of February was found to be 53 days and 66 days for FATA instead of the six weeks indicated by government authorities.  One NGO had to wait 118 days for an NOC.

The OCHA bulletin published 4 April 2013 says the delays are “hampering the provision of critical services” and calls on local authorities to speed up the paperwork “to enable timely assistance to people in need in KP and FATA.”

The bulletin says one emergency project had to be cancelled because of delays, while another had to be reduced in scope.

The paper trail

Humanitarian projects in KP need an NOC from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) [ http://www.pdma.gov.pk/PaRRSA/Humanitarian_Coordination.php ], and must be requested at least six weeks in advance.

Expatriate staff also need an NOC for travel; and in February the Home Department in KP said applications should be made “at least 6-8 weeks prior to the visit”, something one international humanitarian worker, who asked not to be named, told IRIN that if implemented, “means regular visits to projects are nearly impossible.”

Donors have been expressing concern to the government about the delays these moves could create if implemented, and there are some indications the authorities may be prepared to revoke the policy.

Applications go to the home department of the provincial government in Peshawar, and then can often follow a trail of authorizations and approvals from various military units, as well as the ISI.

“A key reason for the new procedures is security concerns. The government is worried a foreign worker or local NGO worker may be harmed, and this brings it a bad name. I think recent events like attacks on polio workers are a factor in the decisions taken,” said a PDMA official in KP.

The delays witnessed by agencies in the last few months are also affecting relations with donors, some of whom do not transfer funds until project NOCs have been issued.

“The Project NOC is valid for six months. Then the same game starts again. At this time I have been waiting now more than six weeks for the extension of an NOC,” said the aid worker, adding that donors usually extend a project’s lifespan, though without increasing budgets, which means they are almost inevitably reduced in size, something donors do not always understand. “Right now one of our donors is very unhappy,” he said.

Permit mission creep

The project implementation permits date back to the 2005 earthquake which killed 73,000 people in the north: The procedure was put in place by the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority [ http://www.erra.pk/ ] set up by the government after that disaster, and was really intended to coordinate the many agencies working in the quake zone and prevent duplication. The process worked smoothly then.

All organizations working on relief and early recovery activities in KP/FATA are required to either apply for Project NOCs [ http://www.pdma.gov.pk ] for projects lasting up to six months, or apply for a Memorandum of Understanding for projects [ http://www.pdma.gov.pk/PaRRSA/Humanitarian_Coordination.php ] lasting more than six months.

Since 2005, there have been a series of additions to the list of documents and information needed when making NOC requests.

The latest came in February this year with the government’s announcement of a 6-8 week requirement for travel NOCs, against the normal 5-7 working days.

The Home and Tribal Affairs Department issued new directives for travel NOCs for 10 (out of 25) KP districts – Malakand, Swat, Upper and Lower Dir, Buner, Shangla, Chitral, DI Khan, Tank and Hangu. The Law and Order Department issued a similar directive covering FATA.

Humanitarian agencies are hoping the new time-scale will be officially reduced to the previous 5-7 working days, and as yet it does not seem the 6-8 week policy is being applied on the ground.

Since 2008, the humanitarian community has raised US$1.38 billion in funding for people affected by violence in northwestern Pakistan. In order to ensure that the assistance is delivered to the people in need, we depend on the government to facilitate humanitarian operations and ease bureaucratic hurdles.

Aid workers say the delays are making it more difficult to deliver aid to KP and FATA. “People suffer when there are delays.

 

Extraordinary Perks and Benefits For Our Rulers

By Huzaima Bukhari & Dr Ikramul Haq

The Supreme Court on April 17, 2013 suspended the March 14, 2013 notification issued by Interior Ministry granting former interior minister Rehman Malik and his predecessors lifetime perks and privileges.

Hearing the suo moto notice case regarding the unlimited perks and privileges granted to two former PMs, all former interior ministers, Sindh CM and other senior officials by the outgoing government, the five-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice sought a response from relevant authorities in this regard.

Pakistan is ruled and controlled by predatory elites in whose hands power and wealth are concentrated.

The ruling elites – comprising indomitable military-civil-judicial complex, unscrupulous politicians, mighty religious party leaders, absentee land owners, media tycoons and greedy traders – are engaged in loot and plunder, rent-seeking and snatching of public property.

Their lust for more and more control is giving rise to perpetual confrontations risking the very survival of the State.

These elites suffer from many maladies such as self-righteousness, self-praise, phobias of all kinds, especially losing of power and money, and despair arising out of affluence. These classes are captives of their own self-interests and victims of perpetual self-aggrandisement.

The two examples of worst rapacious activities of predatory elites are discussed below:

Grabbing of state lands

The high-ranking military-civil officials, judges, holders of public office, politicians, members of influential pressure groups do not pay a single penny as tax on plots they receive free of charge or at confessional rates though section 13(11) and 39(1)(j) of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 so requires. Section 13(11) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 applies in the case of employees (military or civil) says:

“Where, in a tax year, property is transferred or services are provided by an employer to an employee, the amount chargeable to tax to the employee under the head “Salary” for that year shall include the fair market value of the property or services determined at the time the property is transferred or the services are provided, as reduced by any payment made by the employee for the property or services”.

Section 39(1)(j) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 is attracted in the case of persons other than State employees, it declares the following as income chargeable to tax:

“The fair market value of any benefit, whether convertible to money or not, received in connection with the provision, use or exploitation of property”.

Section 14(b) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 defines “services” to include the provision of any facility” and the concept of “fair market” is defined in section 68 as under:

“68. Fair market value.- (1) For the purposes of this Ordinance, the fair market value of any property or rent, asset, service, benefit or perquisite at a particular time shall be the price which the property or rent, asset, service, benefit or perquisite would ordinarily fetch on sale or supply in the open market at that time.

(2) The fair market value of any property or rent, asset, service, benefit or perquisite shall be determined without regard to any restriction on transfer or to the fact that it is not otherwise convertible to cash.

(3) Where the price referred to in sub-section (1) is not ordinarily ascertainable, such price may be determined by the Commissioner”.

On April 13, 2013, the Chief Justice took notice of press clippings containing the details that just one day before the end of the current National Assembly’s term, PM Raja Pervez Ashraf issued an order for an “unprecedented security protocol” for himself and former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani – see details at http://www.supremecourt.gov.pk/web/page.asp?id=1426.

It is indeed a welcome move, but one hopes the issue of non-payment of tax by the allottees of state lands at throwaway prices and other benefits will also be taken up by the apex court.  In the last days of the government, the following obnoxious steps were taken:

1. Just hours before the constitutional tenure of Parliament, the Interior Ministry issued a notification on 14.3.2013 declaring unlimited perks and privileges for Rehman Malik, Federal Interior Minister and his predecessors.

2. According to the note of the Registrar of Supreme Court put up to the CJP, “the benefits/privileges bestowed would be a huge burden on the public exchequer. The security protocol would further deplete the strength of security agencies, who otherwise do not have adequate force to maintain peace/security and protect the rights/freedoms of citizens including the right to life, security, liberty and property, etc. The measures seem to be violative of Articles 4, 9, 24 and 25 of the Constitution”.

3. The Sindh Assembly on 14.3.2013, the last day of its tenure, passed two private bills moved by Pakistan People’s Party legislators Ghulam Mujadid Isran and Dr Sikander Mandhro respectively to grant lifetime monetary and other benefits to the outgoing Chief Minister, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.

The CJP on the basis of news reports presented to him by the Registrar passed the following order:

“I have carefully perused contents of press clippings dated 16.03.2013 published in “daily Dawn”, according to which a day before dissolution of Assembly, incumbent Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf issued an order of following unprecedented security/protocol for himself and former PM:

(i) A contingent of 450 police personnel would be taken from Islamabad Police, out of them 150 would be deployed for Raja Pervez Ashraf. Same number of personnel would be deployed for Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani (former PM).

(ii) Special protocol/security of special squad of 15 Rangers and 15 Frontier Constabulary force would be provided to five former PMs during their intercity movement. Their names have been mentioned to be as Raja Pervez Ashraf, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Zafarullah Khan Jamali.  A batch of five DSPs of Islamabad Territory, led by Dr Sultan Azam Taimoori, DIG was called at PM House on 15.03.2013 evening for selection of a DSP to head the force. A contingent of 450 police personnel consisting of ex-army jawans, inducted in the ICT police by the former government on a three years contract, will be spared for this purpose and the vacuum created by their departure will be filled after fresh recruitment.  Similarly, Interior Ministry issued a notification on 14.03.2013, reference of which finds mentioned in the “Express Tribune” dated 15.03.2013, according to which former Federal Interior Ministers and the Federal Ministers excluding the caretaker Federal Ministers, who had held the office when the Constitution stood suspended, can benefit from the following facilities:-  a. Protocol coverage be provided by FIA to the Ministers, their spouses and children at all airports of the country; and  b. Service of a Personal Staff Officer/Assistant Private Secretary/Personal Assistant, a driver, and an orderly, all to be appointed by the National Data Base Regulatory Authority.

On March 16, 2013 that the Sindh Assembly had passed a law, wherein lifetime monitory and other benefits to the outgoing CMs, Speakers and Deputy Speakers have been provided, as follows:

“If a person who remained CM, Speaker or Deputy Speaker for not less than four years, on the expiry of his term, shall be entitled for seventy percent of salary and allowances per month, a Private Secretary of grad-17, an Assistant, a Driver, a Cook, a Gardener, a Sanitary Worker, lifetime police security and landline and mobile phone facilities with a credit of Rs 10,000/- per month.”

Sindh Assembly has also passed the Sindh Provincial Assembly (Members) Privileges (Amendment) Law, 2013, according to which the Provincial Law makers have been brought at par with the Senators and MNAs as far as the perks after their tenure are concerned, namely:

a. A MPA shall be entitled to have access to all government guest houses, rest houses and Sindh House Islamabad and Sindh House Gwadar at the rates applicable to the government officers on official tours;

b. Use of VIP Lounges at all airports;

c. Lifetime entry pass for the Assembly Secretariat, Assembly Library and Speaker Gallery to observe Assembly Sessions;

d. Official or Gratis passport for self and spouse for life;

e. Issuance and renewal of four weapons licences at fees applicable to government employees.

f. The spouse of deceased minister and a dependent child up to 18 years shall be entitled to enjoy these facilities.

Prima facie, it seems that at the cost of public exchequer and in violation of Articles 3, 9, 14 and 25 of the Constitution, the order issued by former Prime Minister, Raja Pervez Ashraf and notification dated 14.03.2013 issued by Interior Ministry are without any lawful authority. Likewise two amendments made by the Sindh Provincial Assembly extending privileges to the former CMs, Speakers, Deputy Speakers and the Ministers at the cost of public exchequer being unconstitutional are unwarranted as no law can be promulgated, which is not in consonance with the Constitution.

The citizens of Pakistan, who are suffering from different kinds of miseries, deprivation, lack of education, lack of health facilities, lack of drinking water and lack of normal facilities of life cannot share such financial burden of the former Prime Ministers, Interior Minister, Chief Ministers, Speakers, Deputy Speakers etc except if the law so permits or the concerned authorities decide to provide them protection against any threat to their lives in peculiar circumstances.

As far as law promulgated by the Sindh Assembly to extend the benefits to the Chief Ministers, Speakers, Deputy Speakers, Ministers or their families as well as the members etc is concerned, whether it is permissible at the touchstone of Article 8 read Article 9 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The privileges, which have been extended to the above functionaries for the purpose of self serving, are required to be examined at the touchstone of Article 184(3) of the Constitution, therefore, instant note be registered accordingly as a Constitution Petition.

Notice be issued to:

(i) Interior Secretary and Secretary, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of Pakistan specifying the competence under the Constitution and the law of the Prime Minister to extend life time benefits to himself as well as to the former and future Primer Ministers at the cost of public exchequer.

AND

To explain as to whether the notification dated 14.03.2013 issued by the Interior Ministry extending security/protocol to the Interior Minister from the public exchequer is in accordance with the law and the Constitution.

Interior Secretary and Secretary Law are also directed to place on record copies of orders/notifications issued by the Prime Minister as well as the Interior Secretary, noted above.

(ii) Chief Secretary, Secretary Home as well as Secretary Law, government of Sindh.

(iii) Auditor General and Accountant General of Pakistan to calculate the approximate financial burden, which the nation has to bear if the privileges conferred by the incumbent Prime Minister upon himself and others as noted above are allowed to continue.

(iv) Raja Pervez Ashraf, former PM, Rehman Malik, former Interior Minister as well as Syed Qaim Ali Shah, former Chief Minister, Sindh to appear in person or through their counsel, if they desire to support or justify the actions of the PM and the legislation respectively in pursuance whereof prima facie the nation has been financially burdened as salaries etc of these persons shall be paid from the public exchequer.

(v) Learned Attorney General for Pakistan and Advocate General, IGP Sindh, to submit parawise comments and state as to whether at the cost of public exchequer the benefits extended to the former PM etc can be provided to them by sparing contingent of police as per their choice and desire.

(vi) Advocate General, Sindh may also place on record copy of Sindh Provincial Assembly (Members) Privileges (Amendment) Law, 2013.

It is a matter of record that funds of billions of rupees were released by the government within the last day after making sure the banks remained open to hand out the money to relevant parties – the federal government declared March 16 (Saturday) a working day so that it could get the bureaucracy to push through the last minute appointments, loans, promotions and transfers. The entire staff at National Bank of Pakistan and State Bank of Pakistan was on high alert throughout the day to accommodate the last whims and desires of the people who were about to abdicate power within a few hours. Even private banks were forced to remain open on Saturday ensuring all cheques of government got cleared on that day.

On the last day of the National Assembly (NA), Speaker approved 100% increase in benefits and allowances of all members of the NA. Millions of rupees worth of new cars were bought on her orders and approval of life time benefits and perks for Speaker of NA were obtained.

In a letter to Finance Minister, Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, an ex-Member of Board pointed out that collossal revenue loss occurred due to non-taxation of benefits given to public office holders, the high-ranking civil-military officials, politicians and their cronies as free or at a confessional rate as FBR did not invoke section 13(11) and 39(1)(j) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. The finance minister and FBR ignored the letter as expected. FBR did not bother to recover tax from the beneficiaries. In Pakistan, privileged classes want to tax the weaker sections of society (exorbitant sales tax on many item consumed by the poor), but not ready to pay taxes on their incomes. Adding insult to injury, these predatory elites get unprecedented perquisites and benefits funded by taxpayers – what makes the situation more painful is the fact that even no tax is paid on these ignoring the explicit provisions of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 mentioned above.

Extraordinary perks and benefits 

Pakistan is a tax haven for the rich and mighty. The poor are victims of fiscal highhandedness whereas the ashrafiya – military-civil bureaucracy, higher judiciary, landed aristocracy and its cronies, industrialist-turned politicians, religious and spiritual leaders (ulema and pirs), media tycoons and unscrupulous businessmen – is enjoying all kinds of privileges and perquisites without paying due taxes on these. The elites (ashrafiya) while thriving on taxpayers’ money, borrowed funds and foreign aids get extraordinary tax concessions – even where taxation is provided they do not discharge their liabilities and the bodies responsible for collecting taxes at federal and provincial levels instead of taking any punitive action, extend them legal cover through the infamous Statutory Regulatory Orders (SROs), tax amnesties and immunities for avoidance, or just remain silent and look the other way.

While the poor sections of society are paying exorbitant indirect taxes on commodities they consume and are being crushed under the skyrocketing inflation, ashrafiya is enjoying extraordinary tax benefits, for example:

1. The perquisite represented by the right of the President of Pakistan, the Provincial Governors and the Chiefs of Staff, Pakistan Armed Forces to occupy free of rent as a place of residence any premises provided by the Government.

2. The perquisite represented by free conveyance provided and the sumptuary (entertainment) allowance granted by Government to Provincial Governors, the Chiefs of Staff, Pakistan Armed Forces and the Corps Commanders.

3. The perquisites and allowances provided or granted by Government to the Ministers of the Federal Government.

4. The perquisites represented by the right of a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan or of a judge of High Court to occupy free of rent as a place of residence any premises provided by Federal or Provincial Government, as the case may be, or in case a judge chooses to reside in a house not provided by Government, so much of income which represents the sum paid to him as house rent allowance.

5. The following perquisites, benefits and allowances received by a Judge of Supreme Court of Pakistan and Judge of High Court, shall be exempt from tax:

a. Perquisites and benefits derived from use of official car maintained at Government expenses;

b. Superior judicial allowance payable to a Judge of Supreme Court of Pakistan and Judge of a High Court;

c. Transfer allowance payable to a Judge of High Court;

d. The services of a driver and an orderly;

e. 1000 (one thousand) free local telephone calls per month;

f. 1000 units of electricity as well as (25 hm3* of gas) per month and free supply of water; and

g. 200 litres of petrol per month.

[If during service, a judge dies, exemption from tax in respect of benefits and perquisites mentioned above provided to his widow shall also be exempt].

The above shows that the powerful in the Land of Pure live in palatial palaces at the expense of taxpayers’ money, while the poor are dying of hunger and vast majority lack even basic facilities like drinking water, what to talk of health and education. Tragically, these powerful elements do not pay taxes on perquisites and benefits enjoyed by them. Then within a group there is discrimination. The judicial allowance of the judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts is exempt from tax, whereas the same is taxable in the hands of the lower judiciary. Does this not attract suo motu action on the part of the apex court on the touchstone of Article 25 of the Constitution?

14 Steps to Gain Respectability in Pakistan

by Farooq Hassan

Respectability is an   important asset to acquire.

If you have made a lot of money, say $50 million, the first step is to buy respectability.

It’s not important how you made the money, whether through drugs, gunrunning, kickbacks or bhatta. What is important is that after becoming rich, you and your family should acquire respectability.

Acquiring respectability is a refined art. There are some consultants who advise their clients on how to go about this. The consultants charge hefty fees.

I list the following 14 steps that a rich man in Pakistan should undertake. I   guarantee that thereafter his brand will be the essence of respectability.

Hire a good publicist: The first step is to hire a good publicist. This   publicist will play a significant role in your journey towards respectability.

College degree: No self-respecting man is without a college degree. It you don’t have one, no problem. Local colleges sell degrees that can be verified for between Rs200,000 and Rs300,000. If you wish for a foreign degree, it can be arranged. One can acquire a doctorate from Switzerland for 10,000 euros.

Wife: Every successful man has to have a glamorous wife. If you have been married to a village girl for the last 20 years, dump her. She’s not good for respectability. You need a trophy wife. Many fashion models of Pakistan are willing to marry rich men if an income of Rs500,000 per month is guaranteed (adjusted for inflation). Make sure she’s not taller than you. Sign a prenuptial agreement for safety.

Charitable donations: You should make substantial charitable donations. Your publicist will advise you to donate to SOS Children’s Villages, Special Olympics, Marie Adelaide, etc. The photographs should be published generously. Start your own foundation like Bill and Melinda Gates. Every respectable family should have a family foundation.

LUMS Board of Governors: If you donate a substantial amount to LUMS, you can be on its Board. LUMS is not interested in where the money came from.

Honours list: Your publicist can influence the Cabinet Division in Islamabad to honour you with a Sitara-e-Imtiaz or a Hilal. If you know President Zardari, it will be a piece of cake. You can print this on your calling card for the rest of your life. If you do the right lobbying in London, Paris and Washington DC, you can walk away with an Order of the British Empire, Legion of Honour or the Medal of Freedom.

Board of Directors: Your publicist should lobby with the relevant ministry for you to become a director of a state-run organisation – OGDC, PIA, PPL, UBL, HBL, etc. It does not require much effort. After all, with your doctorate from Switzerland, you are a real professional.

Publications/books: Your publicist should ensure that at least one article per month is published under your name in an influential newspaper. You need not write the article, only pay for it. If you have serious political ambitions, you must have a book written by a ghost. Remember Pervez Musharraf’s In the line of fire. A former chairman of NDFC, who could not speak English, wrote a book entitled The Capital Markets Of Pakistan.

Think tanks: The think tanks in the US should invite you occasionally. Your publicist should stay in touch with the RAND Corporation, the Brookings Institution, etc. If you want to become the foreign minister of Pakistan, try the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission.

Club membership: If you want to be taken seriously, you should belong to some exclusive club. I don’t know if the ‘money for membership’ scheme is still operative. You will certainty find somebody to sponsor you.

Apparel: Clothes make the man. If you want to be successful, dress the part. Avoid Moosajees and Haji Karim Baksh. Shop in London. Suits from Anderson and   Sheppard, shoes from John Lobb and shirts from Turnbull and Asser.

Property: A good address is very important.. In London, you must own property in Park Lane, to be close to the Sharif brothers. You must own a townhouse in the Hamptons, Long Island.

Bankers: To gain respectability, you must bank with the right institutions. In London, Coutts Co are the Queen’s bankers. They welcome Pakistanis. Your bank rating must be triple A.

Family tree: Leave your past behind, like your wife. Erase it. Take a new   title. Create a new family tree. Trace your lineage to historical families, such as the Nizam of Hyderabad or the Maharaja of Baroda. Many respectable families of Pakistan have travelled this route.

The writer is the former executive director of MAP.

Corrupt Soul-less Leaders Who Evade Taxes

Tax delinquents and elections

by Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq

According to reports, the FBR is coming out with an illegal, rather obnoxious interpretation, that if tax has been deducted from salary of a parliamentarian then he/she will not be considered as a tax defaulter for the forthcoming elections notwithstanding the fact that a willful default was committed by not filing income tax return and wealth statement required under the law — the purpose is to safeguard the overwhelming majority of candidates from disqualification. People want to know how our innocent members of parliament can claim that salary is their only source of income vis-à-vis their style of living — sprawling bungalows, luxury cars; army of guards and foreign travels etc.

The study (Taxation without Representation) released by the Center for Investigative Reporting in Pakistan (CIRP) on December 12, 2012 revealed that nearly 70 per cent of members of Senate and National Assembly having taxable income of Rs500,000 in tax year 2011 failed to comply with section 116(2) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 by not filing tax returns, wealth statements and personal expenses. Instead of admitting their default and making it good, they accused the FBR of “illegally” (sic) disclosing data. The FBR also obliged them by not taking action under the law, rather assured them of “full cooperation in identifying the persons who leaked data”.

On discovering lapse on the part of legislators, it was the duty of the FBR to promptly issue notices under the law to all those who failed to file their tax returns with wealth statements. If 70 per cent of Pakistani legislators violated section 114 and 116 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 then the FBR was equally guilty of failing to issue notices under section 114(3) and 116(1) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 to these defaulters.

The act of non-filing of return and wealth statement attracts prosecution proceedings as well which are contained in section 191(1)(a) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. It reads as under:

191. Prosecution for non-compliance with certain statutory obligations.

Any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with a notice under sub-section (3) of section 114 or sub-section (1) of section 116; shall commit an offence punishable on conviction with a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or both. 

In case the default of non-filing of return and wealth statement continues even after punishment under section 191(1)(a), sub-section (2) of section 191 provides further action as under:

(2) If a person convicted of an offence under clause (a) of sub-section (1) fails, without reasonable excuse, to furnish the return of income or wealth statement to which the offence relates within the period specified by the Court, the person shall commit a further offence punishable on conviction with a fine not exceeding fifty thousand rupees or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or both”.

The above provisions of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 are unambiguous and more than adequate to deal with tax delinquents. These have, unfortunately, not been invoked in the case of holders of public office as they represented the mighty section of society who made things worse by calling leakage of information as “breach of privilege”.

In all the leading democracies of the world, laws exist which ensure that people seeking votes to become their representatives should have integrity and character. Discharging of tax obligations is a requirement of law of the land (reproduced above) and its violation by any individual attracts provisions of Article 62(f) of the Constitution which says:

“A person shall not be qualified to be elected or chosen as a member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) unless he is sagacious, righteous and non-profligate, honest and ameen, there being no declaration to the contrary by a court of law”.

Can a violator of income tax law escape the operation of this provision of supreme law of the land even when no action is taken by the FBR against him and it is incontrovertible that he did not file income tax return and wealth statement required under the law?

It is not out of place to mention that two important nominees of Barack Obama in his first term — Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer — withdrew their names after it emerged that they failed to keep their taxes in proper order. Let the political parties tell us if they know how many of their leaders have no problems with taxes. We, being practicing tax lawyers and having long experience as tax administrators, can say without any fear of contradiction that majority of them will be disqualified if we implement the democratic tradition followed by Barack Obama after landslide and historic victory in 2008 by admitting that he “screwed up” by nominating tax delinquents.

Our rulers, on the contrary, take pride in rewarding known corrupt and offenders by giving them important public offices. This is why our history is that of ‘Barren Years’.

The agenda of change, even from a pure moralistic point of view, must start from one’s self and own house. Those who are accusing others of tax avoidance are required to first prove that they have discharged their own liabilities diligently. There cannot be selective accountability and escape from law by using the attractive slogan of “change” or “reform” nor in their garb can anyone be allowed to rise above law by claiming himself to be a custodian (self-acclaimed) of morality.

It is a matter of record that political parties in Pakistan do not file tax returns and the FBR has never bothered to issue them notices. In India, there is a mandatory provision of law [section 13A of Income Tax Act, 1961] requiring political parties to file returns. Frequently, Chief Election Commissioner of India asks the Indian Central Board of Direct Taxes to scrutinise accounts submitted by political parties. Central Information Commission of India also directs Income Tax Department to disclose in public interest, details of donors given by political parties in their tax returns.

In Pakistan, neither Election Commission nor the FBR has bothered to consider this vital matter till today. Even the Supreme Court has not taken cognizance of this issue while passing many orders for conducting fair and free elections.

A meaningful change in electioneering requires that political parties should not only keep proper accounts and get them audited by reputed firms, but also file income tax returns, which should be made public. It would force them to take into their folds only those people who honestly discharge their tax obligations. The process of filtration within the parties is a necessary step towards a transparent and democratic setup and Election Commission of Pakistan should ensure its implementation.

Bilours Continue Their Corruption in America

Deli King’s Downfall: $82 Million Check-Kiting Case

By Sam Dolnick

NYT/ February 21, 2013

Hurricane Sandy had devastated Saquib Khan Bilour’s businesses, leaving him unable to pay his bills. His mob ties had been exposed in federal court. His financial maneuvering had just come under scrutiny by auditors.

Mr. Khan saw one way out, federal prosecutors said: He wrote hundreds of checks to himself, then raced across the city from bank to bank to deposit them in accounts under his name or those of his businesses.

In all, the prosecutors said, the checks totaled $82 million.

It was one of the largest check-fraud schemes anywhere in the country in recent years, according to the complaint against Mr. Khan and interviews with fraud experts — a brazen example of a crime that has been on the rise since the recession hit.

This is an era in which thieves steal millions with the click of a mouse. But Mr. Khan is accused of carrying out a low-tech fraud that has unexpectedly exposed holes in the security of the banking system. He took advantage of the willingness of banks to allow some customers to overdraw their accounts temporarily, prosecutors said.

The criminal complaint also sheds light on Mr. Khan, one of those extraordinary characters nurtured by the city, an immigrant whose life of operatic twists has wound through tribal Pakistan, Staten Island strip malls, fund-raisers for Hillary Rodham Clinton and underground gambling halls.

The banks have recovered most of the $82 million, officials said. More than $11 million of the money that Mr. Khan withdrew is now frozen in an account to be distributed to the banks to help repay their losses, his lawyer said.

It appears he spent at least $2 million of the money before he was arrested on Dec. 13, according to interviews and the criminal complaint, which was brought by the United States attorney’s office in Brooklyn.

Mr. Khan, who declined to be interviewed, is free on $500,000 bail and trying to arrange a plea bargain with prosecutors, according to court records. His lawyer said that Mr. Khan was only trying to save his business, and that he was working hard to pay back the banks.

But even experts were taken aback by the accusations.

“It blows my mind,” said Frank Abagnale, the celebrated con man who inspired the Steven Spielberg movie “Catch Me if You Can” and now works as a fraud-detection consultant.

“That’s way, way out there,” Mr. Abagnale said.

Mr. Khan, 51, comes from a prominent family in Pakistan — relatives said he was a favorite nephew of Bashir Ahmad Bilour, a well-known politician who spoke out against the Taliban. Mr. Bilour was killed in a suicide attack in late December.

Trained as a doctor, Mr. Khan came to the United States in the 1980s, but ended up working with his sister and her husband, who owned some two dozen delis across Staten Island.

From there, Mr. Khan set out on his own, building up Richmond Wholesale Company, a cigarette and grocery business that recorded $125 million in sales last year, according to Dun & Bradstreet, a financial information provider. Richmond Wholesale supplies products to delis and gas stations across the New York region. Mr. Khan also owns three delis.

Mr. Khan, until recently the chairman of the board of a prominent Staten Island mosque, was known in the borough’s close-knit Pakistani community as a flashy businessman. He once had a mansion in the Todt Hill neighborhood and drove a Mercedes with a license plate that read “SKHAN.”

He was also a generous supporter of politicians of both major parties, giving more than $65,000 to more than 40 campaigns in the last decade, including those of Mrs. Clinton, former Representative Anthony D. Weiner, former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and former Gov. George E. Pataki.

His friends said that while he reveled in his achievements, he was also a hardworking entrepreneur who built a life for himself deli by deli.

“I’d rather be working in my store,” he said in 2010. “I’d rather be doing my daily business.”

That comment, though, hinted at the dark side of his success. He made it while testifying at a mob trial.

As he rose in the business community on Staten Island, he developed a close relationship with a soldier in the Genovese crime family, John Giglio, also known as Johnny Bull or Fat John, according to the court testimony.

Mr. Khan testified that he had used that connection to pressure at least one reluctant deli owner to sell his business to him.

Through Mr. Giglio, Mr. Khan said he met other high-ranking organized crime figures in gambling halls, though he was never charged in connection with these relationships. (Mr. Khan’s testimony came at the trial of Anthony Antico, who was convicted of racketeering.)

Prosecutors who put together the recent criminal complaint against Mr. Khan said his fraud was an outsized version of a familiar swindle — check kiting — in which the thief takes advantage of the time it takes for banks to clear checks.

The thief deposits inflated checks and then quickly transfers the money to another account before the checks bounce.

Hurricane Sandy hit Staten Island particularly hard, leaving Mr. Khan desperate to recoup business lost during power failures and worse, his lawyer, Sharon L. McCarthy, said.

“All he was trying to do was run his business and pay his employees,” Ms. McCarthy said. “He did not intend to hurt any of these financial institutions.”

The transfers and withdrawals are complicated, but suggested a simple plan: he deposited worthless checks and withdrew real money — tens of millions worth, according to the criminal complaint.

Over two weeks in November, he wrote hundreds of checks to himself, more than a dozen a day, drawing from accounts at about six banks, the complaint said.

The pattern of precise amounts — $886,841, then $874,532, then $461,232 — was an indication of fraud, experts said.

The pace grew increasingly frantic. He deposited $49 million worth of checks into accounts at Capital One, a mix of legitimate ones from vendors and fraudulent ones written to himself, according to court records and interviews.

The bank made those funds available without waiting for the checks to clear. That turned his fictions into millions, allowing Mr. Khan to transfer $42 million into accounts at other banks, according to a lawsuit that Capital One filed against Mr. Khan’s company.

He then withdrew and transferred more money to other accounts as the fake checks kept piling up. He wrote checks worth $82 million that did not “appear to have had any legitimate purpose other than to support the ‘check kiting’ scheme,” the criminal complaint said.

Ms. McCarthy called the $82 million figure “an artificial number” that represented the amount of overdrafts, but not the banks’ total loss.

Soon, auditors at some of the banks — including Capital One, M & T Bank and Flushing Savings Bank — realized what was going on.

Ms. McCarthy said Mr. Khan blew the whistle on himself, alerting the banks that he had withdrawn far more than was in his accounts and planned to pay it back.

The banks declined to comment, and several civil lawsuits against Mr. Khan are pending.

His friends on Staten Island said they were shocked by the accusations, and described him as a humble man who was always on the job.

“If you had called him when he was doing cigarette wholesale, he would arrive there at 5 a.m. and be there until 8 p.m.,” one of them, Suhail Muzaffar, said.

Mr. Khan’s arrest has also caused turmoil at the mosque where he was chairman, Muslim Majlis of Staten Island. He resigned late last month.

He was once well respected there. Now, mosque leaders are sharply divided in their feelings toward him. A founder of the mosque recently resigned from its board after 33 years because of the taint of the Khan case.

For now, Mr. Khan is working to stave off the charges and pay back the banks any way he can, including selling his business — the final twist in the deli king’s fall.

Zardaris’ Hunger for Wealth is Insatiable

President Asif Ali Zardari is already one of the richest persons in Pakistan but his hunger for more wealth is insatiable. The new Bilawal House in Bahria Town Lahore worth more than Rs 5 billion, a bullet proof bungalow built on over 200 kanal of land, is yet another proof.

The house carries a runway for landing of private jets with capacity of over 10,000 people at a time. Completed at a cost of around Rs 5 billion, the house also has a helipad and airstrip for landing of small planes. The boundary wall, having thickness of 30 inches, has been built using concrete and steel material to make it bomb-proof.

A three-layer security system has been provided to ensure fool proof security for the residents.

A bunker and basement constructions are also there for security purposes.

The residential compartment comprises six bedrooms and an equal number of drawing rooms.

The house has been completed in a record period of eight months which is too short a time for such a big building perfect in all respects. Over 80 percent of the construction at the house has been completed so far.

Constructed under the supervision of able engineers of property tycoon, Malik Riaz, it is a fort-like purpose-built building with spacious lawns, conference rooms, staterooms, bed rooms and offices.

Some say that the house will be gift to Zardari from Malik Riaz,  the owner of Bahria Town. One does not know if it is true or not but a gift worth this much obviously will not be given without getting something in return.

It is a resident-cum office building also housing Secretariat of the party Chairman who would be using the building for his political activities.

It may be recalled here that immediately after his release in 2004, Asif Ali Zardari had announced to build a Bilawal House in Lahore on the pattern of one in Karachi. Initially, it was set up in a rented house near old airport (in 2005), but later shifted to another building in Model Town. The latter one did not exist after two years.

Neither Bilawal nor Benazir Bhutto ever visited the two houses as they were in exile during the period.

Such extravagant show of corrupt wealth hardly sets exemplary example of leadership and what could one expect from ordinary party workers when their leaders show their ill-gotten gains so openly and unabashedly.

Faryal Talpur Removed the KP Governor For His Refusal to Give Her Money

It is nothing short of shocking that President Zardari’s sister, Faryal Talpur, held a meeting with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Kausar a few days prior to his unceremonious removal and directed him to remove two political agents in the terrorist infested agencies of FATA, and replace them by two new persons. She also asked him to collect hundreds of millions in the Province and give them to her as she said she needed the money for the upcoming elections.

The Governor told her that political agents cannot be removed without consulting the military as it is conducting military opertions in those very agencies and it was thus not possible.

Regarding the collection of money, the Governor told Faryal Talpur that such practice would malign him and the Party and would not be in the interests of anybody.

When Faryal Talpur failed to convince the Governor, she told him in that very meeting that he should consider himself no longer a Governor. The same evening, she met the present Governor and appointed him.

One need not dwell too much about the fact that political agents in the tribal areas cannot be appointed without paying literally crores of rupees as these areas are the hub of drug and all other kinds of smuggling. It appears now that even the post of KP Governor is also sold to the highest bidder.