Aitzaz’s Latest Client: Malik Riaz

Yesterday I came across blurb about the latest troubles of Malik Riaz of Bahria Town, one of the most corrupt people in Pakistan, and was not at all surprised that the guy representing him was none other than Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan. Now I have written enough about Aitzaz to not be surprised by this. My only curiosity was to see what sort of “plea bargaining” he would be trying to do this time (Remember I have stated before that looking at the cases our most brilliant attorney has been involved in, you’ll find his only trick is plea bargaining, nothing more — look at “Aitzaz jumps in with his pig brothers” here  where I talk about the Bank of Punjab case; also have a look at his brilliant work for his client in the submarine scam).

Well I was not disappointed:

Another Zardari/Sharif Collaboration

With the NRO mess not going away, and more stories of corruption by Sharif Brothers making the news, more and more signs are pointing towards the two families (three if you can call MQM a family) joining hands to cover each others back.

First was the attack by PML-N stalwarts against Zardari detractors and today we learn the two are collaborating not only on NRO-Plus and plan to pass it unanimously, but have jointly written a script to blame someone else for their corruption in order to ‘prove’ all cases were ‘politically motivated’ and they are clean as a whistle:

PPP’s New Line:  “Jehangir Badr, whose prime target was no other than former President Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari during the entire press conference, said that not only the NRO beneficiaries, but those who had to pay billions of rupees to banks should also be held accountable.”

PML-N’s New Line: “Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif Wednesday said it was Farooq Leghari who filed lawsuits against the leaders of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).”

Please remind me which is the ruling party and which one is the opposition?! And isn’t Shahbaz forgetting about Saif-ur-Rehman???

Note: No doubt I agree with Jehangir Badar that “Farooq Leghari, his son Awais Leghari and other members of their family, should be held accountable for their various corruption scandals such as cooperatives and PTCL scandals” but it should be done alongside the holding accountable PPP and PML-N and other NRO beneficiaries and not instead of it, as seems to be the plan. And why didn’t Badar think of this before???? Farooq Leghari’s corruption did begin when PPP was in power. Also, how is PPP going to deal with the fact that Zardari’s henchman Malik Riaz of Bahria Town is a business partner of Farooq Leghari?

I am surprised Badar left out the name of his colleague Senator Jamal Leghari, the elder son of Farooq, who is no less corrupt. That Farooq and Awais are guilty of corruption, there is no doubt about that either. It is a fact that Farooq Leghari (and Jamal and Awais jointly) had less than 1250 acres of land when he became president but today Farooq Leghari alone has acquired more than 12,500 acres of agricultural land (I have no clue about the acquisitions by Awais and Jamal Leghari but they have been on a land buying spree as well). And this does not include other property and bank accounts. Awais alone built his house in Islamabad at a cost of Rs 8 crore. His cousin Sumaira Malik of the ‘Cat House’ fame has spent twice that. Her sister Ayla Malik’s (these days with DunyaTV)   husband (now ex) Sardar Rind has bought another 12,500 acres in the same area as Farooq Leghari. Farooq’s cousins of course are not only among NRO beneficiaries but also big loan defaulters (but sitting pretty in the National Assembly or as Nazims)

Note: Let me remind Mr Badr that it was Awais Leghari who became Privatization Minister for a day to sign the sale of Pakistan Steel Mill (PSM), the sale that was over-turned by CJ Iftikhar and was the main and last straw that led to the CJ’s dismissal by Mush. I am sure Awais got offered a pretty penny to go along with that scam.

Desperate Zardari Buries Benazir Bhutto

Zardari seems to be reaching new levels of desperation. Yesterday, he tried to ban Dr Shahid Masood’s program “Meray Mutabiq” by stopping it’s transmission from Dubai (though it still made the airwaves).

Another sign of his desperation is that he seems to have dug out the old picture of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and buried the picture of Benazir Bhutto — do excuse the pun.

Here are a few pictures from earlier:

And here is one from their meeting yesterday:

Additional Reading:
Rule by Thieves
PPP covering up Musharraf crimes
Government stops NAB from presenting annual report
NAB says lists are ok, as per files
If NRO ministers go, the president has to follow
Bhagwandas declines FPSC job
(If I recall, Justice Bhagwandas was looking into the oil companies scam and gave his report against which no action has yet been taken)
Poor getting poorer
Missing persons still untraced, AG informs Supreme Court

Aitzaz Bought and Delivered

Well the secret of the meeting between Zardari and Aitzaz is out. Aitzaz has been offered post of governor or AG and in return he has agreed to kiss Zardari’s feet and has assured the Presidency he will assist Zardari on NRO (Will his defense be based on asking CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry to step aside “because I am Zardari’s lawyer now” — a lame trick he tried before in the Bank of Punjab scam, just like the Former AG Latif Khosa is trying now against CJs Iftikhar and Ramday?)