LAHORE, Feb 12: The PML-Q dusted off old allegations against the PML-N and prepared a white paper tracing back Nawaz Sharif’s `misdeeds’ from the days when he first became provincial finance minister then chief minister and finally the prime minister of Pakistan.

At a press conference here, Senators Muhammad Ali Durrani and Kamil Ali Agha asked Nawaz Sharif to answer 22 allegations of corruption and nepotism which they alleged cost the nation billions of rupees.

Detailing the allegations, Mr Durrani said Mian Nawaz Sharif, during his tenure as Punjab chief minister (1988-90), deprived the provincial departments of Rs15.35 billion, which included Rs470 million of agriculture, Rs200 million of education, Rs270 million of interior, Rs180 million of forest and Rs1,500 million of other departments. Besides, he said, Rs12 billion were released in the name of development programmes.

Quoting the Auditor General’s Report, released in 1988, he said Mian Nawaz Sharif, misusing his authority as chief minister, issued directives which resulted into direct malpractice of Rs35 billion.

The report said that the Chief Minister’s Secretariat had been turned out to be a hub of corrupt practices and Nawaz Sharif wasted the public money like an ‘emperor’ that resulted in huge fiscal deficit to the province.

The Auditor General’s Report released in 1986 said the then chief minister Nawaz Sharif had squandered Rs1.2 billion in only one year.

It said Nawaz Sharif allotted 3,000 precious LDA plots to his favourites due to which the provincial assets suffered billions of rupees loss.

Nawaz ordered the CBR to issue several SROs due to which he got Rs400 million.

PML-Q alleged Nawaz Sharif was the lead character in the cooperative and financial institutions scam, depriving the retired employees, orphans, widows, and the poor of their total assets amounting to Rs17 billion.

It said Nawaz released Rs1.2 million from his discretionary grant during 1985-86 while Rs18.95 million were released in 1986-87, Rs18990,000 were used in 1987-88 while another Rs18.87 million were distributed among his cronies.

It said during the first tenure of Nawaz Sharif as prime minister he obtained Rs3 billion loan from different banks through his influence against inadequate guarantees.

According to details, Rs1.5 billion loan was obtained against Ittefaq Foundries, Rs302 million were obtained for Brothers Sugar Mills, Rs92 million for Brothers Textile, Rs392 million for Brothers Steel Mills, Rs102 million for Ramzan Sugar Mills and Khalid Siraj Textiles each, Rs385 million for Ittefaq Sugar Mills, Rs368 million for Ittefaq Textiles and Rs239 million were loaned to Ittefaq Brothers. The national wealth was used for establishing personal empire while the country’s economy was facing huge disaster, the document alleged. This loan was equivalent to the total internal loan obtained by the government of Pakistan, it added.

It said another Rs30 billion were spent in the name of ‘Tameer-e-Watan Programme’ in two phases and only 10 to 15 per cent was actually spent on the programme while his friends were benefited by the remaining funds. Later the World Bank (WB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) unearthed the scam.

On Jan 7, 1991, the French government, under an agreement provided, $138 million grant for the development of communication, energy and health sectors. Out of the grant, $25 million were obtained by the then prime minister and his coterie as commission, it was alleged.

It said Nawaz Sharif, in the name of privatisation, handed over a state-owned bank on throwaway price against Rs888.8 million to a bidder who was third in the list. Resultantly, the Sharifs received commission in millions of rupees. Besides, Allied Bank was also privatised and the then prime Minister got kick back in the deal, it alleged.

On Jan 15, 1992, the Nawaz government sold 90 per cent shares of Pak-China Fertilizer Company to Schon Group for mere Rs450 million. The company had 700 employees with a daily production of 340 tons of fertilizer.

It said Nawaz Sharif with an amount of Rs15,000 only opened his account in Muslim Commercial Bank and the next morning he got Rs150 million loan from the same bank.

In June 1990, Nawaz Sharif allotted 43-acre forest land in Murree on a throwaway price to one Zafar Iqbal who was involved in BCCI Scam. Moreover, the Sharif paid the amount from his discretionary fund, it alleged.

On May 30, 1990, Nawaz Sharif announced launching of Pakistan Baitul Mal and appointed his close associate as its chairman. Only in one year Rs1.9 billion were distributed amongst his cronies while Rs9 million were spent on treatment of his feudal friends, it said.

Durig the second tenure of Nawaz Sharif as prime minister, beginning in 1997, he bought 2,000 acre of land in Raiwind, building a Rs250 million, 1700-acre palace there. The amount was spent from the national exchequer, the white paper alleged. It added the palace was simultaneously declared Prime Minister’s Camp Office and PWD was ordered to renovate it. For the purpose, Rs80 million were approved within 24 hours in violation of rules and regulation. Besides, Rs70 million were released for provision of Gas, Rs320 million for roads, Rs85 million for brick-lining of the canal, Rs50 million for provision of electricity and Rs20 million were spent for telephone exchange for the palace.

On Sept 17, 1996, the then chief minister Arif Nakai issued a letter (No LDA-CMP-401-S-54) for the allotment of 540 acres of land for a housing society. The orders were cancelled by Mr Shahbaz Sharif and the same land was absorbed in ‘Raiwind State’ and the poor peasants were harassed and paid minimal sums for their precious lands.

It said Nawaz and Shahbaz, using their official status, saved Rs1,79,382293 in Income Tax and Wealth Tax.

It also alleged misappropriation of the amount collected under `Qarz Utaro Mulk Sanwaro’ plan.

On May 28, 1998, Nawaz Sharif imposed emergency in the wake of atomic explosions and ordered freezing of the foreign currency accounts through an executive order and deprived many Pakistanis of $11 billion, it alleged.

Breaching his oath, the Sharifs informed most of their associates and relatives of the emergency step, who withdrew their amounts well in time. Due to this, $1,200 million were transferred abroad, it claimed.

It also alleged that handing over of 33 industrial units to banks was yet another scam out of which only three were operative and the remaining were dysfunctional. As per investigators, 18 out of 19 units of Ittefaq Group of Companies, three out of four units of Ilyas Enterprises, six out of seven units of Ittefaq Brothers and all three units of Brothers Steel were totally redundant, it claimed.