LAHORE: The Dubai police have released former Evacuee Trust Property Board chairman and PPP leader Syed Asif Hashmi as the Pakistani government failed to provide ‘certain legal documents’ required for supporting its case of his (Hashmi) extradition.

Mr Hashmi was arrested in the first week of April by Dubai police Interpol section. The Interpol had acted at the request of the Federal Investigation Agency which had got issued his red warrants in over Rs1 billion ETPB­-DHA deal scam.

The Dubai police have released Mr Hashmi after “nothing of the required had been handed over to the Dubai public prosecution (by the Pakistani authorities)”. Mr Hashmi’s arrest order stands cancelled unless he is wanted for another reason, the order of the Dubai government public prosecution says.

The Dubai public prosecution had sought ‘judicial request’ from the Pakistani authorities for extradition of Asif Hashmi (to Pakistan).

A counsel for Hashmi also told the public prosecution (Dubai) that the red notice of his client was neither issued on the direction of a (Pakistani) court nor it was published through newspaper advertisements. He also said Hashmi had never been convicted in any case in Pakistan.

Govt fails to provide essential ‘legal documents’ for extradition

“As the FIA special judge central did not issue such judicial direction the authorities here could not fight Hashmi’s extradition case on strong legal grounds,” an FIA official conceded, adding however the government had met all other legal requirements. “We have not given up this case as foreign and interior ministries will pursue it with the Interpol again after meeting all legal requirements,” he added.

The FIA and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) have booked Mr Hashmi in connection with land, housing and recruitment illegalities.

Mr Hashmi remained the ETPB chairman between December 2008 and March 2013. Soon after completion of his tenure he left for Dubai.

The main case against him is the board’s shoddy deal with the DHA, Lahore. The DHA had acquired ETPB’s 843 kanals located in Mauza Mota Singhwala and Mauza Lidhar (where Phase­VI of the DHA has been developed). The ETBP had allegedly agreed to receive 25 per cent of the ‘undeveloped’ plots, instead of 33pc, thus benefiting the DHA.

As the case landed with the FIA, the DHA agreed to revise the deal agreeing to develop 33pc of the plots and not receiving development charges from the ETPB in order to compensate its loss which was approximately over Rs1 billion.

Mr Hashmi had taken the plea that the entire ETPB board had approved and recommended in April 2009 the transfer of land with 25pc exemption plots, thus having endorsement of the federal government which had also conducted a special audit of the board affairs twice during his tenure. “Since no cash involved in this transaction there is no question of causing a loss to the exchequer,” he said.

The FIA had also booked the other board members ­­ Tahir Ali Shah (then joint secretary) and Abdul Ghaffar Soomro (then ex-secretary minorities) for allegedly giving final approval of the deal.

Both were later acquitted. Mr Soomro has recently been made a member of the Election Commission of Pakistan from Sindh.

Meanwhile, Asif Hashmi has written a letter to NAB chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry informing him “the facts” about the allegations levelled against him.

Mr Hashmi told the NAB chairman that all allegations regarding illegal recruitments in the board and its educational institutions, allotment of some bungalows, plazas and flats in DHA, flats in Lahore and some land in Nankana Sahib and Sindh against him had thoroughly been investigated by the FIA, the prime minister’s inspection commission, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) headed by then chairman Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, a special committee of PAC headed by Riaz Pirzada and special committee of National Assembly headed by Syed Khurshid Shah.

He said some senior employees of the board he had initiated action for their involvement in corruption had joined hands with the new chairman to settle score with him.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2016