ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar on Sunday announced that evidence about ‘illegal’ appointments by then Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif to the CM House would be made public if the latter failed to lay bare details of the fact.

Just days after raising 18 questions at a press conference, the PM’s aide took to social media to remind the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president that people had been waiting for his answers.

Jeering at the leader of opposition in the National Assembly, Mr Akbar in a tweet titled ‘dhaley ki corruption kahani’ asked Mr Sharif to answer at least one question though the nation had been waiting for his response to all 18. “Whether you had not only appointed Nisar Gill as Political (Affairs) Director in CM Office, but also made his appointment and promotion in a backdate in violation of rules?”

The PM’s aide, according to APP, also alleged that the appointment had been made this way, because Nisar Gill was the key figure to launder billions of rupees abroad in connivance with a sophisticated network run by the Sharif family.

He said Mr Sharif, who claimed to have not committed corruption of even a penny, had inducted his cash boys into a fake company Good Nature Trading Company that had laundered over Rs7bn through 200 fake Telegraphic Transfer (TTs). A new business empire was established through fake TTs, which were totally separate from the Sharif family business of Ittefaq Group, he added.

Mr Sharif had also appointed Ali Ahmed as his front-man as Director Policy CM Punjab for a similar purpose of money laundering on behalf of Shahbaz family.

Besides two other men, Shoaib Qamar and Mansoor Anwar, were also allegedly involved in money laundering network as they withdrew Rs2.1bn cash from the account of Good Nature Company and deposited money in different accounts. It was alleged Rs16 million was deposited in the account of Shahbaz Sharif, who transferred the money to Tehmina Durrani. The same amount was used for purchasing property in Whispering Pines Villas.

According to sources, the same cash boys deposited Rs25m to Salman Shahbaz’s account after withdrawing it from Good Nature Company. Similarly, another amount was transferred to the bank account of Hamza Shahbaz, who transferred the same to his wife’s account and utilized the same amount for purchasing properties in Johar Town, Lahore. The remaining amount was stashed away through TTs, the sources added.

They explained that Rs6.8bn was withdrawn from Good Nature Company’s account. Out of this amount, Rs4.7bn was injected to another company. The control room of the fake companies was at CM Secretariat, they said.

Mr Gill even in a form for bank account opening had mentioned his designation as Adviser on Political Affairs and wrote CM Office as his address. The same Gill had also accompanied Salman Shahbaz during his visits to London, Dubai and Qatar.

Nisar Gill was, however, later sacked by the Punjab caretaker government along with other officers who had been recruited by Mr Sharif in CM Secretariat by relaxing rules.

The sources also alleged that the former chief minister was receiving kickbacks and commission at his Model Town residence and that his green bulletproof Land Cruiser and Elite Force Punjab were also used in transferring black money at another office in Model Town.

Among his 18 questions, Mr Akbar had asked about four money exchange companies, including Al Zaroni Exchange Company and Rames Tax Exchange, which allegedly transferred a huge amount in the account of Begum Nusrat Shahbaz and Salman Shahbaz through TTs.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2019