Saif levels charges
ISLAMABAD: Chairman, Ehtesab Bureau, Senator Saifur Rehman Khan, on Friday, while giving his impressions about the allegations levelled by Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, charged that it was an element in the deep-rooted conspiracy in which Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was involved.
According to a press release of the Ehtesab Bureau, he said that special teams had been sent by Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman to Doha, Abu Dhabi and other places to sponsor damaging stories about him personally.
Furthermore, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman had been negotiating along with Ketin Somia, an Indian businessman for buying Star TV, Saif alleged.
He pointed out that Benazir Bhutto in her last government arranged through Wajid Shamsul Hassan to obtain the transfer of National Press Trust properties to Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman at very favourable prices, at the expense of the state. For example, an immensely valuable 'Pakistan Times' property opposite Anguri Bagh was sold away on throwaway prices. Other properties of Pakistan Times and National Press Trust were sold out to Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in a manner which was highly criminal in nature and is now being examined in detail by the Ehtesab Bureau. Saif claimed that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman had established an ink-making factory at Lahore, based on the transfer of ink and other material imported at concessional rates for newsprint which were then marketed in the local market.
The Ehtesab Bureau has learnt that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and his associates began providing material to foreign embassies for publication abroad. This effort was led by Ms Maleeha Lodhi, Saif alleged.
(The Jang Group will soon reply to all the allegations levelled by Saifur Rahman)