ISLAMABAD: Former chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Siddique Al-Farooq on Tuesday asked nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan to withdraw blackmailing charges against him in media within three days or face court.

Dr Khan had accused Mr Farooq of receiving Rs20 million after blackmailing him.

Addressing a press conference, the former ETPB cha­irman then said in 2015 then prime minister Nawaz Sharif and then Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif had directed the ETPB to facilitate Dr Khan as per law.

He said an agreement was signed between Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan and him as ETPB chairman for the lease of a 15 kanal and 3 marla plot in Zaman Park, Lahore.

Mr Farooq said that the lease amount of Rs20m was deposited by columnist and writer Jabbar Mirza in the account of ETPB and Dr A Q Khan hospital was established in the building of Ahbab Hospital which was illegally built on the land belonging to the ETPB.

He said that perhaps Dr Qadeer did not know that the land belonged to the ETPB but the administrator of the ETPB, Lahore, clarified the situation to him and asked him to take action according to the law.

“Dr Sahib wrote a letter to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif asking for help,” Mr Farooq said, adding that on the direction of the prime minister and the chief minister maximum cooperation was extended to Dr A Q Khan.

“If the plot would have been auctioned, the ETPB would have bagged Rs100m in the form of non-refundable guarantee while the rent would be 10 times higher than the current rent, but we facilitated Dr Khan by invoking the charity clauses in the rules.”

The former ETPB chairman said eventually it was agreed the trust hospital’s management had to pay only Rs20m for the plot which included the land at which Ahbab Hospital was built.

“Despite repeated reminders the amount was not paid but eventually the ETPB and the AQ Khan reached the court,” he said.

Mr Farooq said that after the court decision in ETPB’s favour the hospital paid all the dues, and the accusation against him was not only unethical but also against the norms of Sharia.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2020