Nawaz Sharif blackmails the Fourth Estate

Nawaz Sharif blackmails the Fourth Estate

Dr. Jassim Taqui

While the Nawaz Sharif’s regime poses to be democratic, documentary evidences prove otherwise. In this write up, I would disclose how Nawaz Sharif blackmailed the media, which is the Fourth Estate in the democratic system.

In this regard, two evidences are available. First, the Prime Minister Secretariat leaked to the media confidential evidence against the former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mohammad Iftikhar Chaudhry in a form a letter he wrote to the prime minister. In that letter, Chaudhry asked Nawaz Sharif to secure a plot to him. Nawaz Sharif took the step in retaliation to a reference Chaudhry submitted to the Speaker of National Assembly, Ayaz Sadiq to disqualify the prime minister as MNA based on violation of ECP by concealing his assets before contesting the 2013 elections.

Nawaz Sharif was in a state of panic. He knew that once he is de-seated as MNA, his government would fall and a new prime minister has to be elected as per the 1973 Constitution.

Second, on 7 October 2016, the ARY accused Nawaz Sharif of meeting RAW and MI6 agents whenever he went to London in the Reporter program (6-7 p.m.) Nawaz Sharif could not take it anymore. Instead of denying the charges against him, he released the following report against ARY:

“Scotland Yard has arrested ARY News executive and reporter from London Farid Qureshi anti money-laundering unit in a sensational raid.

Serious and Organized Crime Agency and Scotland Yard’s units jointly conducted operation. According to police, £125,000 was recovered from the car of ARY reporter Farid Qureshi. Another £30,000 was recovered when the police officers raided his house. The arrest took place on 2nd October 2016.

The raid took place when the ARY reporter was carrying “delivery of cash” from ARY’s gold shop in London to an unknown address in Birmingham.
Immediately after the arrest of Farid Qureshi, ARY’s London bureau chief Fayyaz Ghaffur left for Dubai and has not been back. Farid Qureshi remains in detention and police have written to three ARY executives for interview demanding him to come back to London. Lawyer of ARY in London said that they are trying to get bail for the channel’s reporter but the police is refusing to grant bail.

ARY’s UK lawyer Sanjay Basil said: “Police wants to interview more people before giving bail. Its because of the large amount that was seized. I can confirm that ARY office was not raided but anti-money laundering units searched three houses of executives. We are cooperating with the police.”

According to insider sources at the ARY, the ARY reporter was arrested after monitoring by the British police over one year.

Besides running TV channel, ARY has money-exchange business in the UK as well as gold business.

ARY’s name figured in the US government papers after the 9/11 terrorist attacks with reference to money-laundering for the terrorists purposes. ARY owner Haji Iqbal was stopped from boarding a flight to the USA in 2013 along with his daughter. Salman Iqbal  and others in ARY family are barred from travelling to America after the FBI papers confirmed that ARY used its facilities and gold business to launder money for Al-Qaeda terrorists.

No member of ARY's owner family has attempted to visit the USA after 2013.”

Another funny move, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ayaz Sadiq rejected references filed by PTI chief Imran Khan against Nawaz Sharif based on the documentary evidence contained in the Panama Leak. The evidence accuse Nawaz Sharif of massive corruption and dirty money laundering worth billions of dollars. Instead, Sadiq order registration references  against Imran Khan.

Finding his government sinking, Nawaz Sharif sent an SOS to the PPP to stop playing the Opposition role inside and outside the parliament. Both Zardari and Khurshid Shah were not only willing but also hurried to embrace Nawaz Sharif before the puppet cameras of PTV. Thus, Nawaz Sharif made a mockery of the democratic system which considers the Opposition as a Government in the waiting.