October 21, 2006	Saturday	Ramazan 27, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 20: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has filed a reference with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, nine federal ministers, Salman Shah, Adviser to the prime minister on Finance, Dr Akram Sheikh, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission of Pakistan, and Shamshad Akhtar, Governor State Bank of Pakistan, for reportedly misusing power and committing corruption and corrupt practices.

The party has asked the NAB chairman to order an investigation into the serious irregularities and illegalities committed in the privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills objected to by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The complaint has been filed through Shah Khawar Advocate. Federal ministers Humayun Akhtar Khan, Jahangir Tareen, Awais Khan Leghari, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Amanullah Jadoon, Babar Khan Ghauri, Zahid Hamid, Mushtaq Ali Cheema and Liaquat Ali Jatoi have been nominated in the complaint.

The complaint detailed the process through which the accused tried to privatize the largest public concern for peanuts. The complaint reads, “That the matter was taken up by different parties with the Supreme Court of Pakistan for declaring the bidding of PSMC illegal. The Supreme Court of Pakistan, after hearing the parties at length, passed a short order, dated 23-06- 2006, declaring the whole process of privatization of PSMC as illegal and void. On August 8, the Supreme Court of Pakistan issued a detailed judgment in the matter.

“The same may be treated and read as an integral part of this complaint. In the said judgment, serious infirmities, incongruities, irregularities and illegalities have been pointed out by the apex court, consequent upon which the respondents being member of board of PC and CCOP are held responsible for benefiting successful bidder Arif Habib, loss to the government exchequer amounting to billions of rupees and receiving millions of rupees as bribe.